Impurrfect
by Spunky0ne
Summary: When a ritual to repopulate the noble clans goes awry, leaving Tetsuya mistakenly impregnated by eighteen-year-old Prince Shihoin Yuushiro, it is all Ichigo and Byakuya can do to try to protect the two from the wrath of the Noble's General Council while also managing their emerging feelings for each other...Ichigo/Byakuya, Yuushiro/Tetsuya, yaoi, mpreg
1. Duty

**Impurrfect**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**(Okay, my friends, I will not be adding any more new ones after this until I finish a lot of other stories. But the new Shihoin brother to Yoruichi is so adorable, I took the liberty of aging him to marriage age and pairing him with an unwitting Tetsuya. Once these two fall into each other's orbit, Byakuya and Ichigo will be caught between trying to protect the two and exploring their own emerging feelings for each other. Both Ichigo/Byakuya and Yuushiro/Tetsuya pairings will feature prominently. I hope to make this a lovely romance for both couples, with a balance of humor, drama and some angst as our lovely couples fall in love. I hope you enjoy the new pairing. Roaring back from the flu and already digging into new chapters! Thanks again to everyone who sent along their healing prayers and good wishes. The flu is on the way out and although I can't talk yet because I lost my voice, I am able to write! Love you all. Enjoy the chapter. Cheers, Spunky)**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**In the wake of the war with the quincies, the clan leaders and heirs are required to participate in a ritual of procreation. Byakuya and Ichigo hesitantly accept their duty, while eighteen-year-old Shihoin Yuushiro takes a drastic action that lands him in a chamber with lovely half-blood, Kuchiki Tetsuya by mistake. What will happen when the full moon activates the enchantment? Only time will tell! Ichigo/Byakuya and Yuushiro/Tetsuya main pairings, yaoi, mpreg.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: Duty**

Tetsuya's dark, sapphire eyes watched quietly as Byakuya's attendant slowly removed the clan leader's hair decorations, sliding the expensive pieces out of the satin strands, then slid the white haori off of his shoulders and hung it carefully to the side of where they stood in the dressing area. His gaze reverent and slightly saddened, he pulled the fingerless glove from each pale hand, then removed and set aside each piece of the heir's shihakushou. The attendant paused for a moment, his hand trembling slightly as he picked up the plain white yukata. Byakuya's smoky eyes caught his for a moment and the clan leader gave him a bracing look.

"It is all right, Torio," he assured the young man, "Please continue."

"I understand his reticence," Tetsuya confessed softly, "I feel the same. I cannot imagine that we have reached a time like this, watashi no itoko, where such methods are needed to ensure our survival."

Byakuya sighed and his eyes nearly closed for a moment.

"I think we all have our reservations, but even so, we also understand that our bodies, minds and hearts belong to the soul king. He gives us a place of honor among souls and we must honor him with our obedience. How may we do that if we allow our kind to die out? And how can we maintain the power gifted to us if we do not continue? None of us desire this, but all are aware of the necessity."

"But won't it be awkward, sir?" Torio asked in a trembling voice, "If not before or during, then afterwards?"

"We will all take the elixir before engaging in the ritual," Byakuya explained, "so we will be partially sedated and not terribly distressed. We don't know who our partners will be, but it will be documented. And at least we will not be forced to marry, only to provide at least one heir for each of our clans."

"But Byakuya-sama, there are more males than females in the upper ranks," Torio noted anxiously.

Byakuya glanced briefly at Tetsuya.

"The male couples will receive a second elixir created to mimic the natural male breeder ability like that which Tetsuya has. They will then form a reiatsu chamber and be able to carry a child's reiatsu in their bodies."

"It is not an unpleasant thing to carry a child," Tetsuya said soothingly, his eyes clouding with memory, "For a breeder male, the symptoms are not so pronounced as a female's. And our abdomens do not have to become overly large, because the child remains in reiatsu form until it has emerged from the body."

He paused for a moment, absently touching his slim belly with one hand.

"And the bonding between the parents and child is...warm...and beautiful."

"Tetsuya?" Byakuya whispered, noting the tear that had leaked from his cousin's eye.

The younger Kuchiki quickly turned away.

"Please excuse me, Byakuya-sama. I will meet you at the front gates when you are ready," he said, flash stepping away before Byakuya could answer.

Torio looked sadly in the direction he had gone.

"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama. I didn't mean to upset him. I..."

"I know," Byakuya assured the younger man, "It isn't your fault. There are wounds Tetsuya carries upon his heart that take a long time to heal."

"It's ridiculous that he was excluded from the ritual," Torio mused, "I know he is not of pure blood, but he is half noble and very powerful! Surely if you..."

"I would not have wanted Tetsuya involved in this. While it is true that he is powerful and he is a model of noble conduct, Tetsuya was damaged inside when he lost his first child. It would be dangerous for him. That is why I did not question the decision of the Noble's General Council to exclude him, as well as the other half-bloods from the ritual."

"Ah, I suppose you are right," the attendant said, fastening the tie at Byakuya's waist, "but it is sad because it's hurting him."

"I understand, however, Tetsuya does not need something like this. What our cousin needs is to find love again. This is not love, it is our duty and a show of our humility and obedience."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Yuushiro-sama!" called a young, dark haired male Shihoin youth, looking around as he entered the leader's bedroom.

He shifted to the form of a large, silvery Russian Gray feline and flashed about the room, peeking under the bed, behind the curtains, and in each dark corner before returning to the center of the room and shifting back to shinigami form.

"Yuushiro-sama, you're going to get me into trouble! Please, master, you know that you have to go any minute. I must dress you now. Yuushiro-sama!"

He paused and made a sound of surprise as a feminine laugh seeped in through the door and Yoruichi appeared suddenly in the doorway.

"Yoruichi-sama!" the attendant squeaked, nearly reverting to cat form.

"Take it easy, little one," she chuckled, patting the boy on the head, "I'll find the little rascal for you. Hmmm, not in the closet, huh?"

"No, Yoruichi-sama."

"Or behind the curtains or under the bed?"

"No. I've looked everywhere and I can't find him! I'm going to be in trouble if he isn't on time!"

"I told you to stop worrying," Yoruichi laughed, tilting her head slightly and indicating a large statue on a high shelf that seemed to have grown a fluffy tail around it's base, "Come on out, Yuushiro-chan. You're not fooling anyone, hiding up there so poorly."

"R-rowlrrrr, aw, Nee-san, can't you pretend you didn't see me?" the youth complained.

"Come down here and stop acting like a child," his elder sister chided him, "You are an adult now and you need to start acting like one."

"Well," Yuushiro huffed, poking a whiskered face out from behind the statue, "_You're_ not being arranged to lose your virginity with someone!"

"No," the Shihoin princess laughed, "One of the benefits of being somewhat of an outcast. But it's fine. I'm not the motherly kind."

"Oh go ahead and laugh," the prince turned fishing cat complained, leaping gracefully down from the shelf and turning his large golden eyes on her irascibly, "but _I _could end up being a mother if...!"

"You won't," Yoruichi assured him with a grin, "The only way that happens is if you are chosen to be paired with a Shiba or a Kuchiki, who rank higher than we do and have an abundance of male candidates, but not female. I am sure they will take your age into consideration and choose a young, gentle girl to be with you. You will be fine, Yuushiro-chan!"

She knelt and curled an arm around the little wildcat's neck, digging gently into the coarse, olive grey fur with her fingers and coaxing a rumbling purr from deep in Yuushiro's feline throat.

"There now, that's it. Just be calm. You know, you aren't the only virgin who is going to this gathering tonight."

"Please don't go telling anyone!" Yuushiro pleaded, his eyes rounding and a strange blush managing to touch even his feline face, "Nee-san!"

"Like they wouldn't know," Yoruichi muttered softly under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Oh, never mind. Come along!" she urged him, watching as he took on his shinigami form and his attendant dashed back to his side to hastily dress him in the required white yukata.

As he stood, contemplating his slender body in the mirror, he frowned thoughtfully.

"Who else is a virgin who is going tonight?" he asked.

Yoruichi gave him a knowing smirk.

"None that _you _need to know about, _Otouto,_" she scolded him teasingly, "Now, let's go before they send someone to look for you!"

"I could hide from them," the youth said in an uncharacteristically surly voice, "The one I can't hide from is you."

"Come on!" Yoruichi laughed, shooing him out the door.

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya and Tetsuya paused as they reached the council guard post at the base of the council hall steps.

"Only the chosen and their attendants are allowed beyond this point, sirs," the guard said respectfully.

"Tetsuya is attending me," Byakuya said, nodding in his cousin's direction.

"Very well," the guard replied, "Up the steps and down the hall to your right, sirs."

Tetsuya followed Byakuya silently up the steps and down the right hand corridor, then past another guard to a large gathering room where hundreds of yukata clad noble males and females anxiously waited. The room was nearly full by the time the doors were closed, and the grand councilor of the Noble's General Council called the meeting to order.

"My brothers and sisters," he said warmly, "I know we are all grateful to have survived the holocaust wrought by the quincies, and all of us here have already proven ourselves loyal servants of the king. But the new incarnation our lord Reio has a great need that we must yet fulfill. Many were lost in the battles...many young and old, male and female, of every clan. Because of this, the number of us who stand ready to defend our king has fallen to a critical level. The only way to provide his majesty with strong defenders to prevent a repeat of this war's tragedies, is to bring about more young to swell our numbers. We of the grand council are very aware of the task that we lay on your shoulders, and many of us still young enough to bring forth life, stand among you, ready to do as we ask you to do. This is not a course taken easily, but it is a desperate necessity. All of you have been carefully chosen. Your strength, your powers and your fine quality will build a legacy for the future. We of the grand council wish all of you fruitfulness, happiness and a bright future with the offspring you will bless us with. Now, if you will give your attention to Councilor Fumio, he will direct you to your meeting chambers."

The grey haired grand councilor sat down and a slightly younger councilor with greying black hair took his place in front of the chosen.

"Greetings," Fumio said solemnly, "All of you were given a silver band we placed on your wrist, imprinted with a coded number that was matched with another and assigned to a meeting room. You only need look at the charts being projected to locate your number and room. The rooms have been made comfortable and supplied with food, drink and other comforts you may find useful. In precisely thirty minutes, all attendants will be recalled to the entry and the chambers will be sealed. Skylights will allow the light of the full moon into each chamber and that will release the power of the enchantment. Once within your chamber, swallow the elixir left for you...or if you are a man paired with another man, drink the two elixirs, then wait for the moon to reach the proper position. You should feel no anxiety and when the morning comes, you should have only dull memories of the night. But you will begin serving his majesty in the most precious way...by bringing new life to his clans. May you all be blessed in your efforts."

With no further ceremony, the meeting chamber's doors opened again and the ones within the room filed out into the corridors, following the numbered doors to their chambers.

"Are you all right, Byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya asked, glancing up at his cousin's stoic expression.

"I am fine," Byakuya assured him, "It is perhaps not how I intended to have a child and heir, but I am all right with it. We all must do something to protect our clan's numbers."

"Unless we are unworthy somehow," Tetsuya whispered.

"Pardon?"

"N-nothing," Tetsuya said quickly, "There, Byakuya-sama, your room."

The two proceeded to the door and Byakuya punched his code into the panel beside it. The door clicked and opened readily to his touch, revealing to him that someone else had already entered the room and stood, facing away and looking up through the skylight. The Kuchiki heir's breath caught at the sight of the young man's ginger hair and his all too familiar slender body.

"Ichigo," he breathed in a stunned tone.

The young man turned and gave Byakuya a less than surprised look.

"Byakuya."

"I suppose the choice makes some kind of sense," Byakuya concluded, holding Ichigo's anxious gaze steadily, "However, I find it surprising that you would go along with this."

"Oh?" Ichigo said, smiling very slightly, "Why is that? Do you think I don't know how badly the king needs his protectors?"

"Of course not," Byakuya assured him, his heart catching at the intensity of the younger man's golden brown eyes, "It is just that you are young and of high spirits. I have not known you to be the kind to simply do what duty requires."

"Well," Ichigo chuckled, warming slightly, "No one knows better than me right now the price of not being there for his majesty. His last incarnation was lost because we couldn't be there in time to help him."

"But the new incarnation of the king has stabilized our worlds and you have ended the threat. They might have considered your debts paid," Byakuya suggested.

"Come on, now," Ichigo laughed good-naturedly, "You don't think for a minute that those stuffy old farts are going to let me off without making an heir as soon as possible."

"I thought they might have given you a choice."

Ichigo's eyes struck him light a bolt of lightning and his words weakened the Kuchiki heir's legs beneath him.

"I did have a choice," he confessed, "And I chose you."

Byakuya's dark grey eyes gazed into Ichigo's with deep curiosity.

"You chose me?" he repeated, only half believing the words.

"Yeah," Ichigo said, blushing, "Out of everyone, you were the one I knew best, the person I felt the most comfortable doing something like this with. I trust you, and trust is important when a person loses his virginity."

"B-but, wouldn't you prefer to be with a female? She would carry both children. You needn't take such a thing on yourself." Byakuya reminded him, "This way, we both must carry a..."

"Are you saying you're unhappy I chose you?" Ichigo asked, smirking.

"No," Byakuya answered, a light flush invading his fine features, "I don't find the prospect of being with you for our first time objectionable. I just thought that..."

Ichigo's sudden frown stopped him mid-sentence.

"_Our_ first time?" he queried, "You mean my first time, right?"

"No," Byakuya corrected him with an almost shy intonation, "And I am not implying that it will ever happen again. I mean that I am also virginal."

Ichigo's jaw dropped and his eyes blinked in confusion while he struggled for words.

"But...you were _married_, weren't you?" he asked finally, "To Hisana?"

"Yes," Byakuya confirmed, "Hisana was...a lovely young woman, and my best friend. We did love each other and she agreed to marry me in order to rescue me from an arranged marriage. A marriage to me meant that I could ease her path in life and be close to her. But her health was always a concern, so unbeknownst to the family elders, we never consummated the marriage. I feared impregnating her because it would have shortened her life even more. I am also a virgin, Ichigo."

"Oh kami," Ichigo chuckled, blushing more brightly, "I thought that being with someone who was a friend and a little..._wiser_ would make things easier."

"Do you regret your decision?" Byakuya asked, his expression perfectly serious, "Because you can still change your mind."

"No way," the Shiba heir said, picking up the first elixir and swallowing it, "I stand by my decision. If I have to do this, I want it to be with a friend...a person I trust...someone who is loyal to me."

"I almost killed you," Byakuya whispered, drinking his first elixir.

"I almost killed you," Ichigo said, smiling and picking up the second elixir, "And ever since then, I've known that there isn't anyone whose friendship, whose faith, whose loyalty means so much to me."

Byakuya looked back at him silently as the two swallowed the second elixir.

"I'm glad you feel the same," he whispered, watching as the door behind Byakuya closed and clicked into place.

XXXXXXXXXX

"What are _you_ doing, lurking about?" a deep, mocking voice asked, "Were you hoping that I would sneak you into my chamber instead of the person chosen for me?"

Tetsuya frowned up into his taller cousin's black eyes.

"I was attending Byakuya-sama," he said shortly, "Not that it is any business of yours. I am his personal bodyguard, after all."

"I am aware," his cousin said, moving closer and trapping Tetsuya up against the wall, "There is nothing about you that escapes me...ever."

"Leave me alone, Orochi!" Tetsuya hissed, trying to flash step, then freezing as his cousin's hand wrapped around his upper arm, stopping him, "What are you doing?"

"Don't you want to get in on tonight's festivities?" Orochi said smoothly, "I can hide you in my room and we can be together after I impregnate whoever else they give me."

"Let go of me! You're repulsive!" Tetsuya snapped, tearing away and flash stepping down the hallway.

Fearing that his cousin would follow, he ducked into a room that appeared to have been left vacant and invoked his power, causing his slender body to take on the translucent look of water, then moving into a dark corner to further conceal himself.

Back near Orochi's door, Yuushiro paused and scratched his head, looking from one room to the next in confusion. He looked into the room where the tall, dark haired and stern-eyed man waited, then swallowed hard and backed away.

"I thought Nee-san said they wouldn't give me a man!" he mused, shivering, "And he looks mean! No way am I..."

He looked around, then flash stepped away, failing to notice the room that had actually been noted on his band. His heart in his throat, he ducked into a room with an open door and closed it behind him.

"Hey, this should be my room," a male voice said from outside the door.

"Oh no!" Yuushiro exclaimed, ducking into the shadows and unexpectedly pressing up against Tetsuya's hidden form, "Huh?"

"Shh, please don't say anything!" Tetsuya pleaded, "My cousin was trying to annoy me and I came in here to escape him. I am sorry. I will leave in a..."

"It's all right. There's an extra room here, sirs," said another voice outside the door.

The two young men waited breathlessly until the voices faded.

"I think they've gone," Tetsuya said finally, shedding his waterform and meeting Yuushiro's golden eyes.

Yuushiro froze, a blush roaring over his youthful features as his widened eyes took in the sight of Tetsuya's slender body, bright sapphire eyes and shoulder length, wavy black hair. Sweat broke out on his forehead and he fought to think of something to say. Finding nothing, he nervously backed away.

"Ah...ah, it's all right, ah. I think I'm very thirsty."

He turned towards the table and grabbed one of the small cups, swallowing the pleasant liquid in that, then a second.

"But...that is the...!" Tetsuya tried to warn him.

"Oh!" Yuushiro gulped, looking like a deer caught in a car's headlights.

"I have to go," Tetsuya exclaimed, "before..."

He flash stepped to the door and turned the handle, only to feel it refuse to budge under his fingers. Sucking in a surprised breath, he focused on a waterform that he had placed in his horse's stall back at Kuchiki Manor to use for escape in emergencies, only to find his power somehow blocked.

"My waterform!" he breathed in a shocked tone, "I can't move to it!"

"The ritual has begun," Yuushiro whispered, going pale, "Our powers won't work...and we're stuck in here!"

Tetsuya watched with widened eyes as the Shihoin youth reverted to cat form and zipped around the room, looking desperately for any escape. After several minutes, he noticed the moon moving into position above the opened skylight.

"Oh no!"

"It's all right," Tetsuya assured him, "I didn't drink the elixir. I won't touch you."

"B-but I already feel strange," Yuushiro whispered, his eyes going hazy and fixing eerily on Tetsuya's, "What can we do?"

"I will...I will just..."

Tetsuya froze as the Shihoin youth's eyes seemed to light from within and a dizziness passed through both of them.

"What is happening?" Tetsuya wondered aloud, backing away from the prince, "I didn't drink the elixir, but..."

Yuushiro's handsome golden eyes stared into Tetsuya's and Tetsuya's legs weakened beneath him.

"Oh!" Yuushiro realized suddenly, as a bright golden glow rose around the two of them, "This isn't the elixir, is it? You and I are...resonating!"


	2. Connections

**Chapter 2: Connections**

**(Thanks a million to Nagisa (Je suis tellement heureux que vous l'aimez! Je vais être sûr de continuer à écrire plusieurs chapitres. Merci!), Emmagem803** **(Yes, there will be lots of tranformations, including in this chapter! Yuushiro is a wonderful, fun character to write. Have to give Kubo some serious props for making him!), Kyuumihaira (There's going to be a lot of cute and adorable, mixed with some hot and sexy. The two couples are deliciously different, but both will be very much in love. Lot's of fun!), Kurumi619 (Okay, you shall have more!), Aizenfan6969 (I loved Yuushiro upon sight!), Parnita (I'm much better today, thanks! I think these two pairs are my new faves, although I am a hardcore Ren/Bya and Aizen Bya, hell ANYONE MALE/Bya fan *grins as Bya glares*), Willow (Okay, here you go!), Jazzybella (Aww! *melts* Thanks so much! You are really sweet. I will write extra fast for you!), IrritatedBookworm (Hope you liked the update of Never Alone! :) And I'm pleased you enjoy Yuushiro as much as I do. Can't wait to see more of him in the manga.), Sachiko Heiwajima (What made him so confusing was the girlish long gloves and his very strong resemblance to Yoruichi. I had to wait until Kubo ID'd him as a 'he' before I could start this! lol), TezuSezu (I plan to have a good balance ofboth couples. Although Yuushiro and Tetsuya are front and center, so are Ichi and Bya as they deal with the fallout of the mixup. The fun really starts here! :) Glad to have you along.), ** **and SCJ0263** **(And here you go! Enjoy!)**

"This is...really weird," Ichigo confessed, his voice shaking slightly as he observed Byakuya's calm, peaceful expression, "I don't know how you can take it so easily. But then, you're probably not as calm inside as you look on the outside, ne?"

He picked up a cup of hot green tea from the table and sipped from it.

"No, I am not," Byakuya admitted, "I was thinking that if the size of your zanpakutou is any indication, this could be...extremely uncomfortable."

Ichigo choked at the words, coughing and violently expelling a mouthful of tea.

"What?" he exclaimed, wiping drops of tea from his lips, "_That's_ what you were thinking? Really?"

"Does that surprise you?"

"You're worried about my size?" Ichigo asked, blinking dazedly.

"Aren't you worried about mine?" the noble inquired, matter-of-factly, "I think it's a reasonable concern."

"W-well, yeah," Ichigo chuckled, blushing furiously, "I guess it is. I want to tell you not to worry, but I don't want you to get the wrong idea about me, you know?"

"Hmmm, though whatever wrong ideas I may have will be corrected very soon."

"Makes you kinda glad for the sedative, huh?"

"I suppose," Byakuya answered, looking down into his teacup, "although, given the mutual loss of our innocence, I don't know if I want to forget."

Ichigo paused at the words considering them carefully, and he moved closer to Byakuya, setting his teacup down on the table.

"Yeah, I guess we think alike on that, because I think it's a pretty special thing too. I wish that this ritual didn't have to interfere with us enjoying something like that."

"I am not saying that I regret that it will be with you," Byakuya clarified, "but that making the choice and choosing the place and time for that exchange is a pivotal moment in one's life."

"I agree," Ichigo said, pausing in front of him and looking into his curious eyes.

He took the tea from Byakuya and set it on the table, then closed the distance between them, sliding his arms slowly around the suddenly frozen Kuchiki heir and bringing their faces close together.

"Relax, okay?" Ichigo whispered into his ear, brushing his cheek against Byakuya's and breathing in the other man's warm, sakura scent, "We'll just take a few moments and get used to being a little closer to each other than we usually get. At least if we do that before whatever they gave us lowers our inhibitions, this will feel more like a choice and less like something we're doing because it's required."

Ichigo went silent as a very gentle golden glow began to rise around them. He sighed softly in resignation, missing completely the surprised and fascinated look that had taken over the Kuchiki heir's expression.

"Damn...guess the elixir works faster than I thought."

"No," Byakuya corrected him, taking Ichigo's curious face in his hands, "This is...not the elixir."

"It's not?" Ichigo queried, "Then, what...?"

"There are in the Kuchiki family archive old texts that I have been working on translating," Byakuya explained, looking deeply into the Shiba heir's enchanted eyes, "Within those tomes are references to how our ancestors used to arrange marriages of the great noble heirs. They would gather in the hall of the king...that place that serves as the entry point into Soul Society when the king leaves his palace and comes here. As you know, the king rarely does so because of the danger to him and also because his power is dangerous to all of us. Anyway, the gathered heirs would approach his majesty's throne, lining up in two rows, facing each other. One by one, they would walk down the aisle, only stopping when a glow like this rose between them."

Ichigo unexpectedly found himself smiling.

"So, if what you're saying is true, we're kind of meant to be together?" he inquired, "Can that be right? I mean...I didn't think of you that way before."

"But when asked to choose a partner for this effort..."

"I chose you," Ichigo whispered, a flush rising on his cheeks as he surrendered to the sudden urge to bring their lips together.

Both men froze and closed their eyes as their lips touched and caressed each other's for several long moments. Byakuya finally broke the contact and met Ichigo's slightly glazed eyes warmly.

"Resonance was considered a gift from the soul king, a promise to the most devoted of his servants and protectors that they were not meant to be alone, nor to be joined in empty, meaningless unions, but that he had made someone for each of them. I am not sure why the practice was abandoned. There are still many pages of text I have yet to translate."

"That's really beautiful," Ichigo sighed, his lips seeking Byakuya's again as he nudged the Kuchiki heir in the direction of the large, comfortable looking bed, "It makes me feel a lot better about all of this."

"I find it reassuring as well," Byakuya agreed, pausing to release the ties on their yukatas, then sliding onto the bed.

Ichigo followed, taking up a position opposite him and remaining on his knees, his eyes fixed dazedly on Byakuya's. The Kuchiki heir slid an arm around him, then captured one of his hands and brought the warm fingertips to his mouth. Ichigo stared, a swell of arousal flaring in his nether region as Byakuya's lips closed around his fingers and he caressed each digit slowly with his unspeakably soft, wet tongue. He extracted the fingers even more slowly, his lips reclaiming Ichigo's as he guided the younger man's hand in a slow descent down the bared front of his body and to his blushing nether region. A fresh wave of Byakuya's lovely sakura scent washed over him, making Ichigo sigh and cling more tightly to the Kuchiki heir as his shaking fingers began to prepare the elder noble. He felt Byakuya flinch and met his eyes apologetically.

"Are you all right?" he asked, blushing, "Sorry, I've never done this."

"It's fine," Byakuya assured him, lowering himself onto his back and spreading his thighs wider to encourage Ichigo to continue, "I merely have to get used to being touched by you. You did not hurt me."

"I'm glad," Ichigo said, looking relieved, "I don't want to hurt you. I feel a little nervous about having taken those elixirs, you know? You said one was a sedative and the other...?"

"Do not worry about that," Byakuya reassured him, "The sedation has taken effect and you should feel your mind relaxing now."

"I don't know," Ichigo sighed anxiously, "I still feel pretty aware and my heart's doing flip-flops."

"Shh," Byakuya said soothingly, curling a palm around the hand that worked slowly at preparing him, "You are resisting the compound, that is all. You must try to let your mind relax, Ichigo. You are not going to hurt me, nor will I hurt you. And we both are at peace with our joining. Look at me. Trust me, please."

Ichigo took an unsteady breath, then released it shakily, closing his eyes and trying to let all of the unsettled feelings leave him as he exhaled. As he inhaled, he opened his eyes again and felt his body relaxing into Byakuya's embrace. The Kuchiki heir gave him a rare, fleeting smile and nodded to indicate his readiness. Ichigo raised himself slightly, catching his breath as Byakuya's hand slipped downward, helping to position him.

Byakuya's hazy eyes widened beautifully as he was penetrated and Ichigo felt a swell of affection that led to a flurry of deep, passionate kisses. He held his hips still as they kissed, waiting as Byakuya's body adjusted to the feel of being filled. He nuzzled the Kuchiki heir's flushed cheek and laced their fingers together. When he finally began to move, Byakuya expelled a lovely, fluttering sigh of surrender that went straight to the Shiba heir's core, teasing his hips into thrusting more deeply, for which he was awarded with a moan of delight from Byakuya.

"F-feels good?" he inquired somewhat dazedly, blinking at the look of approval in the elder shinigami's grey eyes.

"It feels exquisite," Byakuya whispered back, the look on his comely face leaving Ichigo weak and shaky with lust.

He thrust harder into Byakuya's handsome, responsive body, wondering at the affection in the Kuchiki heir's dark eyes, and the beautiful sounds that escaped the two men as they neared climax. It was such a departure from the Kuchiki Byakuya he had first met, a man Ichigo had thought to be colder than ice.

_But even then, something told me that there was more to him than that. I couldn't believe he was really like that. I wonder if it was that resonance he was talking about that made me feel that way. I guess we had to travel a long way before realizing this._

_But we're ready now._

_At least I am._

_I wonder if Byakuya feels the same._

But the Kuchiki heir's dark eyes would tell him nothing but that the man was overcome with pleasure at their joining. As they surrendered to the hard shudders of completion, Ichigo closed his eyes and devoured the fierce, panting sounds emitted from between his parted lips. He couldn't stop kissing and exploring that sweet orifice that had once opened only to insult him, but now offered words and sounds of connection, of trust, of something Ichigo thought might be the beginnings of love.

_But it's always hard to know what he'll do_, Ichigo mused, collapsing his seed splashed body onto Byakuya's and resting his head on a pale, sweating shoulder, _Still..._

_He really is...beautiful..._

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya blinked in surprise as the young man in front of him seemed to shimmer strangely for a moment, then disappeared altogether and was replaced with a large, beautifully colored fishing cat.

"Oh, are you a Shihoin?" Tetsuya inquired, relaxing slightly, "Your were-form is lovely...erm..."

"Eh, Sh-shihoin Yuushiro," the little wildcat answered, looking up at him through luminous golden eyes, "I am..."

"Ah! You are their leader, ne?" Tetsuya said, remembering the name, "You are Yoruichi-san's younger brother?"

"Yes," Yuushiro said, moving closer.

His eyes blinked slowly and his tail twitched as he moved closer and encountered the gentle scent of sakura. Tetsuya read the beginnings of haziness in the fishing cat's eyes and backed away a step.

"Yuushiro-sama, are you all right?" he inquired, flinching in surprise, then blinking as the soft rumble of purring reached his ears, "I think the elixirs are taking effect. Perhaps you should stay in cat form if you can. At least, if you do, you will not disgrace yourself being with someone who is beneath you."

"But y-you're my resonant," the cat purred, moving closer to him and switching his tail back and forth, "Why would being with my resonant disgrace me?"

"Erm," Tetsuya managed anxiously, "I am..."

The cat lunged forward and Tetsuya's arms opened reflexively. He was sure the cat's claws should have raked his skin, but to his surprise, there was no sting at all as he caught the lovely beast and Yuushiro's furry face nuzzled underneath his chin.

"Oh, I think it's a very good thing you are in your were-form," Tetsuya sighed, blushing as a velvet paw batted playfully at the ends of his hair and the cat's eyes looked amorously into his, "Just imagine."

"But you must feel it too, ne?" Yuushiro insisted, nuzzling closer and purring more loudly.

"I am not even allowed to be here!" Tetsuya exclaimed, "I was only attending my cousin. When my other cousin tried to annoy me, I just came in here to escape him. I wasn't supposed to...and you are a clan leader. This is...impossible, Yuushiro-sama, you must know that!"

"P-pr-r-rowl," the Shihoin cat chuckled, licking Tetsuya's cheek affectionately, "I like you much better than that scary man from the Kuchiki clan."

"The Kuchiki clan?" Tetsuya queried, blushing and turning his head away as the fishing cat rubbed against his face and ran a rough tongue along the line of his jaw, "I know you don't mean Byakuya-sama. He was paired with Shiba Ichigo. It wasn't Kuchiki Orochi, was it?"

"Grrrwll, I don't know," the Shihoin leader confessed, "I only saw him for a moment. But he had cruel black eyes and he looked at me like I was beneath him."

"They paired you with Orochi?" Tetsuya asked, looking alarmed, "That has to be a mistake, Yuushiro-sama! You are so much younger than him...and...you are...a leader. Surely, they would have taken your youth into account and paired you with someone more suitable than him!"

"But don't you understand?" the Shihoin youth asked, placing his paws on Tetsuya's shoulders and nearly touching his soft nose to Tetsuya's as he gazed into the rapt shinigami's blue eyes, "After meeting you, it doesn't matter who they chose. Are you telling me that you don't feel the same?"

"N-no!" Tetsuya exclaimed, reeling as the fishing cat's golden eyes bored down into his, "I do...feel as you do. I saw the signs of resonance, but you know that a half blood will not be accepted, even if we resonate strongly. The practice of allowing resonance to decide matches among the noble elite was abandoned long ago! Probably because of something like this."

Tetsuya gasped as the Shihoin youth's reiatsu swelled around the two of them and everything around them disappeared into a hail of dancing iridescent lights. He blinked and squinted, only slowly realizing that he no longer stood on his feet, but was crouched on the floor and that his body had become smaller and unexpectedly feline. Tetsuya caught his reflection in a full length mirror across the room and would have gasped again, but instead emitted a harsh hissing sound.

"Y-yuushiro-sama!" he exclaimed, "how is this possible? This form is a variant of my waterform, but I can't use my waterform powers in here! And I have never taken the form of a cat!"

"I think I understand," Yuushiro said, rubbing up against Tetsuya affectionately, "Your shikai doesn't work, but my shapeshifting ability is different. And because we resonate, I can use my ability to make you change. Your body couldn't usually transform, but you have also a natural shapeshifting ability, using water. My reiatsu is simply activating yours."

"But Yuushiro-sama, you mustn't!" Tetsuya insisted, trying to back away and finding himself trapped against the wall, "I told you that I am a half blood and was excluded from the ritual!"

"I don't care who they chose and I don't care if you're a half blood," Yuushiro said, nibbling at his ear, "You smell good and you are really soft."

"Well, I'm not usually covered with fur..." Tetsuya interjected, trying to twist free, but only entangling himself more with the other cat.

Yuushiro's face slid down his side and his sniffing nose honed in on Tetsuya's vulnerable posterior. The Shihoin leader yowled wantonly as Tetsuya's scent filled his senses. His golden eyes went hazy and he loosed a playful snarl as he pounced on the other cat and bit down on the back of his neck.

"Y-yuushiro...sama?" Tetsuya said weakly, a powerful twinge passing through him and seeming to paralyze him as the other cat positioned itself behind him.

His mind went blank for a moment and he yowled loudly as Yuushiro bit down more firmly on his neck, then entered him. Tetsuya tried to speak again, but all that could escape him from that point were mingled yowls and hisses of pleasure. He couldn't remember feeling anything more beautiful than that warm weight against his back and the feeling of the other cat's breath tickling his furry neck. Reeling in the wonderful feelings of arousal and teased to the point of near madness, he raised his hips in acceptance and nearly collapsed as Yuushiro's head tilted slightly and his contented purr rumbled in Tetsuya's ear.

_This is...otherworldly_, Tetsuya's hazy mind registered, _So this is what a resonance is like. Whatever the cost, it is beautiful. I am so glad that he didn't have to lie with Orochi tonight. I know we will be in trouble when morning comes, but..._

The two were-cats screeched as Yuushiro's body shuddered and he loosed his release into Tetsuya's quaking body. Tetsuya gave a pained groan as they separated, but was more than pleased as Yuushiro wrapped his body warmly around him and licked his face and ears until the two drifted off to sleep.

**(A/N** Just a side note...Yuushiro was not actually paired with Orochi. He simply made a mistake in the room assignment. This will play into future events. Just wanted to clarify since it seemed to cause a little confusion! :) New chapter coming soon!)**


	3. The Runaway

**Chapter 3: The Runaway**

**(Still feeling horrible and hoping this awful bellyache will go away soon. But writing this cheered me up a little. I hope you all enjoy it! Love, Spunky)**

Tetsuya returned slowly out of blissful senselessness to find his naked body back in shinigami form and locked in a sweet, erotic tangle with the equally naked and contentedly purring Shihoin prince. He was stricken with how heartbreakingly beautiful Yuushiro looked when so completely relaxed and undone and he couldn't help but wonder if he would ever experience something so wild and playful as their lovemaking had been.

_He was so different and our lovemaking was unlike anything I've known. When I was in the prison, Orochi was always cruel and controlling. Naoki was comforting and very kind and gentle with me, but there was a sadness between us as all of our moments were stolen ones that had to be hidden. Yuushiro-sama was excitable and so passionate, it was overwhelming. And we couldn't resist the compelling urges of our resonance. _

_Then...that once, he convinced me to penetrate him. I was never able to do that with anyone. Orochi never would have allowed it and I cried when Naoki said he wanted me to do it. I was so scared because it seemed such a violent kind of thing. But even though I was shaking all over when I finally gave in to Yuushiro-sama's desire for it, it didn't feel violent and he didn't show any sign that it hurt him. He only looked enthralled, pleased and wonderfully sated. I didn't know that my love could make anyone so happy._

_How am I going to leave him now?_

Tears of regret rose in his eyes as he carefully disentangled himself from the exhausted and deeply sleeping prince's arms, and the first escaped and trickled down one porcelain cheek as Tetsuya yielded a final kiss of farewell and retrieved his scattered clothing. more tears leaked down his face at the thought of never being with his resonant again.

_But what can I do? Resonance is no longer used to determine arrangements for marriage. And many of the elders of the clans still look down on mixed bloods like me. I don't want Yuushiro-sama to suffer their ill will because of me. We weren't supposed to be together at all._

_But I am so happy for this mistake of circumstance..._

_I will never forget this night or how much Yuushiro-sama stole my heart._

Tetsuya smiled sadly as he heard the soft click of the lock on the door releasing as morning arrived. He turned back one last time summoning a flicker of his returning power to make a gift for the sleeping prince. A bright silver chain manifested and he conjured a single large snowflake that he captured and preserved in a small glass charm. This, he placed on the chain and fastened around Yuushiro's neck.

He fled the room then, concealing himself from the others by engaging his waterform. He remained invisible as he returned home in scathing flash steps, shedding more tears and unable to bear the thought of being alone again.

_But for one night I was happier than I've been in a lifetime._

_Thank you, Yuushiro-sama...truly._

He emerged into the gardens at Kuchiki Manor and shed his waterform, then stumbled to his bedroom, where he feel into bed in a state of complete exhaustion.

"Tetsuya-san?" his attendant called softly, sensing the return of his master.

Koji stepped into the bedroom and found Tetsuya fully dressed and collapsed across his bed. Noticing the lingering tears on his cheeks, he sighed sadly and tucked the young man into bed.

"Tetsuya-san is too often sad," he whispered, "It makes me sad too."

He retreated to the attendant's recess, where he laid down, positioned to watch over his sleeping master.

_It will be all right, Tetsuya-san. We are all sad sometimes, but it will pass and you will smile again. Sleep well._

XXXXXXXXXX

Byakuya felt warm fingertips gently tracing the lines of his face and throat, then sliding through the satin lengths of his tumbled hair. Even with his own eyes closed, he could feel the caress of Ichigo's powerful golden brown eyes as they watched him sleep.

"Have you slept at all?" he asked, letting his own grey eyes open and meet the Shiba heir's.

Ichigo gave him a sleepy smile.

"You didn't, did you?" the Kuchiki heir concluded.

"No," Ichigo confessed, "not at all. I was too busy watching you and I was hoping that if I didn't sleep, I wouldn't forget."

"Fool," Byakuya yawned, closing his eyes again, "did you forget already our resonance? We aren't going to forget, even with what we were given. Resonants never forget each other."

"I was wondering about that," Ichigo said, nuzzling under Byakuya's chin and letting a hand slide down to explore his nether region as they kissed several times, "I was wondering if it's true our souls resonate so strongly, why didn't we know that until now? When we met we tried to kill each other. Why would that be if we were meant to be together?"

Byakuya's eyes opened and met his again.

"A resonance is a marker of deep and compelling passions. It doesn't have to turn into love. It can result in a passionate hatred. Resonants have the capacity to greatly harm or fastidiously embrace each other. It is all a matter of what the resonants choose."

"Is that right?" Ichigo mused, "So...we essentially tried to kill each other...?"

"Because of the compelling passions within our souls that collided when we met."

"But you're saying that because we worked things out and became friends..."

"We chose a path that led to a more positive type of passion, yes," Byakuya finished.

"Does that mean that you'll go out with me now?" Ichigo asked, earning a curious look from the surprised Kuchiki heir, "What, does that really surprise you? I mean, we're having each others' kids, right?"

"We are."

"And we like each other, right?"

"Y-yes. And I admit I am flattered that you requested to be paired with me. But, are you sure you wish to court me? You are...somewhat younger than me. And you certainly have many attractive peers who are interested in you. Why me?"

"I'm not interested in anyone else," the Shiba heir said matter-of-factly, "The only person who gives me feelings like this is you. I felt that way when I chose you and I still feel that way. I'll understand if you don't return my feelings, but I have to be honest about them."

"You don't have to worry about me not returning your affections," Byakuya assured him, "I am likewise attracted to you. But...despite having engaged in the ritual pairing to recover our noble population, I think it best if we go back to the beginning and proceed more slowly."

Ichigo chuckled.

"I guess that's probably best," he agreed.

The hand exploring Byakuya's privates began a more amorous invasion.

"But...before we leave and start over, is it okay for us to be together one more time? I know it's morning and we have to go soon, but you've got me aroused again."

"I see."

"And it would be kind of cruel to rile a guy that way and not offer him some relief," Ichigo said, smirking.

"Oh, is it my fault that you are so easily aroused?" Byakuya asked, arching a fine eyebrow.

"It is right now, with us both being naked and touching all over," Ichigo pointed out, "And it seems to be that I'm not the only one aroused here."

"You are not," Byakuya agreed, "But one shouldn't always give in to his passions recklessly."

"What's reckless? We came here to have sex, didn't we?"

"I think the point was to conceive children, actually."

"Well, we don't know if we were successful, do we?"

"Not yet," Byakuya agreed.

"Then, it's kind of an obligation to be really sure we gave it our best effort," the Shiba heir concluded.

"Oddly, that begins to make sense," Byakuya said, his breath catching as Ichigo's touches became more intimate.

He spread his thighs easily and watched with a quiet, affectionate expression as their bodies joined. They made love more slowly, looking into each other's sleepy eyes and each regretting that their time together was almost at an end.

_It is good though that it doesn't really have to end here, _Ichigo thought, letting his hands explore the lovely planes and curves of Byakuya's slender body, _I'm glad he'll see me again. He's so beautiful. I can't think of anything but that when I look at him. I wonder if he looks at me like that..._

He found in Byakuya's returned expressions of affection that there was every reason to believe the Kuchiki heir did. Ichigo watched raptly as Byakuya's eyes went nearly black and his body went taut for a moment, before surrendering to the heavy shudders of a powerful climax. The sensation sent his own body instantly into release and he collapsed again on top of Byakuya, panting hard and devouring the lovely man's soft lips. He crashed down into a deep sleep.

And when he woke, he found himself alone in the room with only the light, sweet scent of sakura to remind him who had been with him. With a resigned sigh, he climbed out of the bed and started to dress. As he did, his eye caught a slip of paper on the nightstand. He picked it up and read as he continued to dress.

_Ichigo,_

_Again I am glad that, given a choice, you chose to be with me. I apologize for leaving without waking you, but I had some obligations to see to, and you were sleeping so comfortably that I didn't want to wake you. I look forward to seeing you again._

_ Affectionately,_

_ Byakuya_

Ichigo smiled and tucked the note into his pocket, then left the room and started down the hallway. He paused, frowning as loud voices erupted in the hallway ahead of him.

"Next time, you morons should do a better job of matching people with someone who actually has something in common with them. I couldn't stand that insipid, brainless girl. Any children she has are likely to be as useless as she is!" a dark haired man with angry black eyes snapped furiously, "This was a complete waste!"

Ichigo stepped aside, scowling and shaking his head as the man blew past him, leaving the attendant he had been yelling at, and the enraged young woman who had been his partner glaring after him.

_What an asshole..._

XXXXXXXXXX

Yuushiro groaned and hissed softly as his senses returned, then his golden eyes opened and blinked in confusion for a moment. He lifted his head and looked around for the young man who had been with him during the night, but found himself alone. He started to speak, then realized.

_He never told me his name!_

He could still picture every detail about the young man...his lovely, pale skin, large sapphire eyes and delicate features.

_It's stupid that they focus so much on blood, _he mused, _He was perfect! I was aroused the moment I saw him and I stayed aroused all night._

The Shihoin price giggled softly.

_He was so surprised when we took cat form, then he was amazing! I never did anything like that with anyone before. And once I did it with him, I wanted to keep doing it. I was dizzy with how good it felt touching him all over and putting it inside him._

He slid a hand down his torso and touched the lingering dampness between his thighs.

_He looked ready to faint and he blushed so much and tried to refuse when I wanted him to do it with me. I'm glad he finally gave in. It felt good to be touched deep inside like that. I thought I would be afraid, but he made me feel happy to try anything._

_I wonder who he was..._

The Shihoin prince loosed a softer, more regretful sigh and dragged himself out of bed, then started to dress. As he slipped back into his top, he felt his fingers brush against something cool that was fastened around his neck. Blinking curiously, he turned to look in the mirror, then broke into a wide, sweet smile. He captured the glass charm between his fingertips and stared raptly at the large, lovely snowflake imprisoned within it.

_What a beautiful gift!_

He ran out of the room, bursting into the hallway and crashing into someone and bouncing off, then colliding with the unforgiving wall and ending up in a surprised heap on the floor.

"Watch where you're going, fool!" snapped the black-eyed man.

"Yikes!" Yuushiro gasped, cringing as the bigger man flash stepped away, "Not him again!"

_I'm so glad he wasn't my partner!_

"There you are!" exclaimed a feminine voice.

A swift flash step sounded and a hand grabbed hold of the prince and dragged him back onto his feet.

"What are you doing, Otouto?" Yoruichi greeted him, grinning, "Why weren't you in your assigned room? I heard there were a few mix-ups last night."

"Y-yeah, there were," Yuushiro agreed, "but it's okay. The guy I was with was sort of shy, but he was very kind."

"Oh? Was it anyone I know?" his sister asked curiously.

"Eh..." the prince mused, scratching the back of his neck anxiously, "I-I'm not so sure. The...um...elixir acted really quickly and I sort of forgot to ask his name."

"You what?" Yoruichi exclaimed, "Yuu!"

"S-sorry! Sorry, I didn't mean to, Nee-san!" the youth apologized profusely, "B-but he was just so beautiful and I couldn't help it!"

"Hmmm," Yoruichi huffed disapprovingly, "But that certainly was an appalling lack of manners to not even ask his name. I hope he wasn't offended."

"Oh no!" Yuushiro moaned, blushing at the thought, "You're right. He's probably very offended, but now I don't know how to find him!"

"Oh, don't worry about it," the elder Shihoin chuckled, "Maybe he doesn't remember much either. That's what the sedation was for. Everyone was a little uncomfortable having to do it with a stranger or someone they only knew a little. There was only one person who got to choose his partner, and even the partners that were assigned got a little mixed up, I heard."

"Well, it turned out fine. The person I was with was way better than that big scary man that I was assigned to mate with."

"A...big, scary man?" Yoruichi inquired, frowning, "Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh," Yuushiro confirmed, holding up a slip of paper and pointing to the room he had originally been assigned to, "He was in there."

Yoruichi took the slip of paper and squinted down at it, then burst into laughter.

"What is it, Nee-san?" Yuushiro demanded, "What's so funny?"

"Baka!" Yoruichi howled, "You were supposed to be in _that _room over there with Mai-chan from the Aomori clan! I don't know who that big guy was, but he wasn't supposed to be with you."

"Oh!" Yuushiro said, blushing furiously, "I read the paper wrong..."

"Well, it worked out all right, I guess. You lost your virginity with someone gentle, right?"

"He wasn't just gentle, Nee-san," Yuushiro said, smiling dreamily, "He was beautiful...and he was smart and funny, wise and kind. I never met anyone like him!"

"Well, who knows. Maybe the two of you will meet again. At very least, once the baby comes along and starts to shape shift, it will become obvious who your mystery lover is, right?"

"You're right!" the prince exclaimed, brightening.

A moment later he deflated slightly.

"What's wrong now?" asked Yoruichi.

"Well...it's going to be a while before the baby is born," Yuushiro complained.

"Eh, we'll worry about that later," Yoruichi laughed, "Come on, let's go home. Everyone's tired from being up most of the night!"

"Yeah, I am too. We must have done it ten or twelve times!"

"Goodness!" Yoruichi mused, "You must have liked him."

"I didn't just like him," Yuushiro sighed, "I really, really loved him!"


	4. Morning After

**Chapter 4: Morning After**

**(Thanks so much to fairy kakera (Vous êtes très gentil! Merci beaucoup!), Aizenfan6969 (Here you go!), Kittykins (And here's more for you!), SunlessNights (Well then, I won't keep you waiting!), Picklez80 (So glad you are enjoying the story!), Kamelcake (The dating starts here in Shiba style! And Yuushiro will be on the prowl, looking for Tetsuya soon.), Tcas0518 (I see you know me very well! lol I am so glad you gave this story a try. It's my first time writing Yuushiro, but he's a fun character.), SekseeDragoness (Aw, I'm so glad you enjoyed that!), Kyuumihaira (Oh, just wait, it gets cuter!), Parnita (I doubt Tetsuya will have time for much sadness, now. *giggles* I have so much in store for those two!), NamineLily (I was so excited to write more that I forgot about being sick. I feel much better today...only that means running off to work after getting this post up! No rest for the wicked, I guess...), Periwinkle (You've got it,kiddo!), TezuSezu (Thank you so much!), BleachLover (Aw, so glad you like it!), ShariBerry (Yeah, wait till the elders find out...), Winterheart2000 (Not to put too fine a 'point' on it, lol, yes, cats have a barbed...erm...thingie!), Beaker (I grew up around cats and it wasn't this cute...lol), Nagisa (Merci. Vous êtes très doux!), Emmagem803 (Yuushiro is very enthusiastic and fun, but it's going to be really cool to play out his protective, 'don't give a fuck' attitude too. I am so glad you are enjoying that! :) Thanks!), Jazzybella (I guess I should add a 'caution when reading at work' tag! lol) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

The soft rumble of purring brought Tetsuya awake, and his blue eyes flew open and sought the source almost desperately.

"Yuushiro-sama!" he exclaimed, sitting up suddenly, then catching his breath in surprise as a large black cat that had been curled up near his head and looked to be the source of the purring, sat up and looked back at him through large yellow eyes that expressed annoyance at the sudden loss of warmth, "Oh, it's you, Shoushi. What are you doing in here? You never sleep in my room!"

The black cat yawned indignantly and jumped down, prompting three other cats also lying on the bed to abandon their posts and follow him outside. Tetsuya blinked in surprise, wondering at their odd behavior.

"What's gotten into them?" he whispered, shaking his head in confusion.

"Tetsuya-san?" Koji's voice called softly, "Are you all right?"

Tetsuya looked up as his attendant left the small recess in the corner and Koji sat down on the edge of the bed.

"What were the barn cats doing in here?" he mused aloud, "They never come into the main wing."

"I don't know," Tetsuya admitted, frowning, "It's strange..."

_They probably sensed the Shihoin prince's reiatsu on me._

"You look flushed," Koji observed, laying a hand on his charge's face and forehead, "You seem feverish, Tetsuya-san. I will fetch the healer for you."

"No," Tetsuya sighed, shaking his head, "I do feel a little under the weather, but I will just rest. There is no need to bother Michio-san. He will be seeing to Byakuya-sama in the aftermath of the mating ritual."

"Of course."

Tetsuya went quiet again, looking out the open garden doors into the late morning brightness. He barely noticed Koji was still at his side as the attendant studied his profile, reading his troubled expression.

"Tetsuya-san, may I ask you something?" Koji inquired cautiously, "You seemed distraught this morning when you returned home. You were gone all night. I know it is none of my business, but it worried me to see you unhappy. Did something happen last night? Orochi wasn't bothering you again, was he?"

"Oh, he got in a few rude comments last night before the ritual, but it didn't bother me really."

"But something did," Koji persisted, "I don't mean to pry, but..."

"But Koji is always concerned with my well-being," Tetsuya said, warmth returning to his voice as he met his attendant's friendly green eyes, "Arigato, but you don't need to worry. I admit I was sad because I was excluded from the ritual."

"It made you think of your lost child, ne?"

"Hai, but I often think of Naoki and our lost child. It's understandable, isn't it?"

"It is," Koji agreed, "But is there anything I can do to ease your mind? I don't mean you shouldn't think of them. I just don't want for you to be so sad."

"I am just weary. I was wandering about, thinking too much all night. It's no wonder I became feverish."

"Why don't you let me give you a warm bath and then some breakfast? Akio can freshen your bed for you and you can rest today. Arashi and I can check in with the house guard posts for you. You should rest. You know Byakuya-sama takes your health very seriously since your time in the prison made your body more fragile."

"I am not fragile!" Tetsuya objected, "A fragile person wouldn't have walked out of that place alive."

Koji laughed softly.

"I know, Tetsuya-san. I didn't mean it that way."

"I know what you meant," Tetsuya replied, his mood lightening, "Very well, then, if you are so intent on spoiling me today, I will rest."

"Come then, I will bathe you while your bed is turned down. I would have turned it down for you when you came home, but you were collapsed across it. You must have been up all night," Koji chattered on.

A small smile returned to Tetsuya's lips as he followed his attendant to the bathing chamber, listening to Koji's lively chatter, but thinking of a different young man's face and friendly voice.

_It is sad to be teased by happiness like that. But right now, Yuushiro-sama's warmth is still inside me and I can still hear his voice in my mind. And as Byakuya-sama taught me, as long as we are alive and breathing, we are not without hope. I will remain hopeful then._

_I will..._

"Tetsuya-san?" Koji said, turning as he heard the younger man stop walking.

The blue-eyed noble's face went deathly pale and he swayed unsteadily.

"Tetsuya-san!" Koji cried, catching his ailing cousin as his legs gave way underneath him.

A flash step sounded and Byakuya appeared on the walkway, dressed in a sleeping yukata and looking as though he had just awakened.

"What is wrong?" he asked quickly as Koji lifted Tetsuya into his arms.

"I don't know, Byakuya-sama!" the attendant exclaimed, "He didn't come back last night after he accompanied you to the ritual site. He said he was distracted with thinking and wasn't able to sleep. He only returned a couple of hours ago and he awoke with a fever."

Byakuya nodded and retrieved his cousin from the attendant as his own attendant appeared at his side.

"Torio, please help me get him back into bed and Koji, fetch Michio."

"Will he be all right?" Torio asked worriedly as he and Byakuya entered Tetsuya's room and laid him gently back in his bed, "He looked so pale at first and now he looks flushed."

"I am sure he will be fine," Byakuya said with an edge of uncertainty, "He just overextended himself. I knew he was upset over his exclusion from the ritual, but I wasn't aware it had worn so heavily on him. I only didn't oppose his exclusion because I was worried about the strain it would place on his body. I should have explained it to him, but with everything going on..."

"It wasn't your fault, sir," Torio assured him, pulling the covers up and tucking them around Tetsuya, "You were overwhelmed with all that was going on."

He disappeared into the bathroom and returned with a cool, wet washcloth and gently sponged Tetsuya's face and throat. At the attendant's touch, Tetsuya's eyes opened and blinked, working to bring the room back into focus.

"B-byakuya-sama?" he inquired dizzily, trying to sit up, only to be gently pushed down again.

"Don't try to get up," the clan leader admonished him, "You exhausted yourself being up all night. You should have come back here and allowed your attendant to relax you."

"I am...s-sorry," Tetsuya apologized, "You're right. I was...stupid not to take better care of myself."

"It's partly my fault," Byakuya sighed, frowning, "I knew you were upset when I didn't question the Noble's General Council's decision to exclude the half-bloods or less from the ritual. I should have explained myself. I must have given you the wrong idea."

"No," Tetsuya assured him, looking down at the bed, "I know you were worried because of what happened before. I understood you were looking out for me. I just...felt sad. But you're right. I should have let Koji comfort me. I am sorry, Byakuya-sama. I will rest today and I am sure I will be fine. Don't worry about me. You have enough on your mind with...your gestation."

Byakuya paused and looked down at his slender abdomen for a moment.

"You must think it was a very selfish decision," he said solemnly.

"No," Tetsuya insisted, shaking his head firmly, "Byakuya-sama was worried for my health and chose not to make a battle over the issue for that reason. I told you, I understand. Please, don't worry over it. I will rest and I will be fine. Please, watashi no itoko, don't let it bother you."

"Very well," Byakuya said, taking Tetsuya's hand in his and squeezing it gently, "But I do insist on apologizing, Tetsuya. I would have been proud to welcome your child into our family...and it did not escape me that with a child of more than half-noble lineage, it would have revived your father's subfamily. I just couldn't bear it if I lost you."

"I know," Tetsuya assured him, looking up as the healer entered the room.

He sat quietly as Michio examined him.

"You are feverish," the healer observed, "but you seem to be all right except for that. Your reiatsu seems low, but you said that you had been in some emotional distress, ne?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think you will be fine, young master. Just stay in bed and let our Koji spoil you. You should be up and about tomorrow."

"You see?" Tetsuya said, his smile returning, "I am all right, Byakuya-sama. There is no need to worry."

"And I should be seeing to you now," Michio said to Byakuya, "The Noble's General Council wants an accounting of all positive results as soon as they are obtained. It might be a day or two more before we know, but I will monitor you closely."

Tetsuya watched silently, his hand laid very gently on his belly as he watched the others leave the room and Koji returned to the attendant's recess with a book in hand to read.

_A few days?_

_I wonder. Will I have been impregnated by Yuushiro-sama? I was told I might be infertile after losing Naoki's and my child. But there was little certainty. And if I do become pregnant, what should I do? Byakuya-sama is already very concerned over my health. What will he do when he knows?_

The heavy questions persisted, riling his thoughts until Koji appeared at his side and joined him on the bed. He worked slowly at the tense muscles in Tetsuya's shoulders and back and rubbed his temples lightly, speaking soothingly into his ear until his cousin relaxed and began to drift off in his arms. When Tetsuya was finally asleep, Koji gently extracted himself and stood, then frowned as the barn cats padded softly into the room and curled up with Tetsuya again.

"What is with you?" Koji chuckled, scratching one of the furry beasts on the head, "Fine then, stay with him if you like. Just let him sleep. He's very tired and doesn't need to be bothered."

He sighed softly and returned to the attendant's recess, where he laid, reading, as Tetsuya and the barn cats slept soundly.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Yuushiro-sama, please lie still," the Shihoin healer pleaded, "It is very hard to get a sense of your reiatsu with you fidgeting."

"Sorry," the young man apologized, "It's just such a nice day. I want to go outside and do something."

"You know it's best to be calm and give your body the best chance to form the spirit chamber," the healer chided him, "Don't you want to be successful?"

"Sure," Yuushiro assured him, "It's just hard to sit still when the weather's so nice."

_That and I have to find him. He smelled like flowers. I wonder if he was from the Kuchiki family. He didn't say, but he did seem to know about Kuchiki Orochi. I should go and see if I can learn anything._

"Yuushiro-sama, please!"

"Sorry!"

"It seems it is still too early to tell if the attempt was successful..."

"The _attempts_," Yuushiro corrected him, smiling widely, "I told you we did it a lot of times, didn't I?"

The healer blushed.

"Y-yes, but you also said that your suitor only...erm...he only..."

"Ejaculated inside me?" the prince offered, smiling as he remembered.

"_S-seeded_ you once," the healer finished, blushing more fiercely, "You should have had him seed you several times to be sure."

"I told you, he was shy," Yuushiro laughed, "But I seeded him a lot of times! He didn't mind that at all."

"Erm, you say, a lot of times, you seeded him?" the healer asked uncertainly.

"Yes, at least ten times...or maybe eleven," Yuushiro announced proudly.

"S-sir, this is a delicate question, but...did you and your suitor do any of this in cat forms?"

"Sure. Five or six times, I think."

"F-five or six?" the healer mused, "Yuushiro-sama, you do understand that because of your shapeshifting ability, the fact that you take cat form, your suitor is likely to have _multiple _reiatsus form?"

"Huh?" the prince inquired, blinking.

"Sir, shinigamis will have one or at most two children at a time, mostly. But...cat's can have a litter of sometimes _six or seven_!"

"Six or seven, really?" Yuushiro exclaimed excitedly.

"My lord, you have to understand that if he is not a Shihoin, he will require extra care as he progresses. It is very important that you inform him and have him come to me. I am able to watch over this kind of gestation as other healers might not be."

Yuushiro's smile faded.

"You mean...it could hurt him to do this?" he asked worriedly.

"Oh, I am sure that I can bring him through all right," the healer said reassuringly, "But you must have him come to me as soon as possible so that I can watch over him."

"I will find him, then," the prince promised.

"But you said that he didn't tell you his name."

"That doesn't matter," Yuushiro said determinedly, "I am going to find him and you will make sure that he isn't hurt."

"Yes sir," the healer said, bowing briefly, "I will take good care of him."

XXXXXXXXXX

"Byakuya-sama, Shiba Ichigo is here and asked to see you, sir," Torio announced.

"Did he say why?" Byakuya asked, slipping a robe around himself and following the attendant into the gardens.

"No, Byakuya-sama, he only said he needed to see you right away."

"I see," the clan leader said, frowning, "I wonder if this is about the ritual..."

They proceeded into the central gardens, with Torio leading. As they approached the central garden's gazebo, the attendant suddenly stepped aside, revealing that the area had been decorated with lights and a large meal awaited him.

"What is this?" Byakuya mused, stepping forward and looking down at the meal laid out with two place settings.

He caught his breath in surprise as something soft touched his cheek, and he turned his head to find it was a pretty red rose held by the smiling Shiba heir.

"Ichigo?" he said in a flustered tone, "What is this?"

"Well, you did say that you would allow me to court you, right?" the Shiba heir chuckled.

Byakuya barely fended off a smile.

"You...commandeered my staff behind my back and had them..."

"...arrange our first date. Yeah," Ichigo said, pulling out one of the chairs, "Your attendant was also kind enough to give me a few instructions about proper manners, since my clan isn't exactly known for having them."

"I see. And was it in your plans that I would be in my pajamas while we had our first date, or will you allow me to return to my room and dress more appropriately?"

"No way," Ichigo said, flash stepping forward and capturing the Kuchiki heir in his arms, "You look great the way you are. And besides, I know how long it takes to get you all dressed up. It's worse than my sisters, back in the living world!"

"Ichigo..!"

"Take it easy," Ichigo laughed, "Just, come on and have breakfast with me, okay? No one here cares what you're wearing. I'm not dressed up."

"But at least you're dressed," Byakuya said dryly.

"Forget about what you're wearing," Ichigo whispered into his ear, giving him a chaste kiss on the cheek, "Come on, let's have something to eat, okay? I don't know if it's the gestation thing already or what, but I'm starving!"

"Very well then," Byakuya sighed, "Best not to let you faint from hunger. But Ichigo, you have to give me some notice if you want to do this. I am..."

"You're a clan leader. I know," Ichigo assured him, "I made sure with your staff that you weren't busy and what foods you like. I didn't just appear and make demands. They were really great to help me out like this. They really do care about you. That's why they were so enthusiastic about helping. Sit down. They're over there in the house, watching probably. You don't want them to get their feelings hurt after preparing all of this."

"I suppose not," Byakuya agreed, sitting down and watching as Ichigo joined him.

The two began to eat and Byakuya noticed a growing smile on his date's handsome face.

"What is it? Why are you smiling like that?" he asked.

"Because you look really cute, barefoot and in your pajamas," Ichigo giggled.

"You think this is funny?" Byakuya asked indignantly, "Ichigo, I thought that something was wrong!"

"That's why you rushed out here without dressing? You were worried about me?" Ichigo asked, looking surprised.

"Well, it isn't the way we usually go about dating. I was confused," Byakuya answered, looking into Ichigo's warm, affectionate eyes, "But then, you are not like any of us. That is one of the things I enjoy about you. It's fine. You don't need to apologize. I overreacted."

"Probably just the hormones, right?" Ichigo snickered, earning a deadly look from the Kuchiki heir.


	5. Opening Blossom

**Chapter 5: Opening Blossom**

**(Thanks going out to Kittykins (Yes, babies will be everywhere!), DragonPrincess01 (Oh yes, Byakuya will be beside himself! And he will have issues of his own as well!), Fairy Kakera (I am so glad you liked it!), Kyuumihaira (Oh, he will soon...and at an opportune moment), SunlessNights (It will be quite romantic!), Dramamelon (I'm so glad you enjoyed the kitties! It was inspired by my own kitties, a Russian Blue, a brown tabby Maine Coon and a feisty little Tuxedo kitty that position themselves like furry sentries all around me at night!), Jazzybella (I'm so glad you enjoyed that! And more cuteness is coming!), Emmagem803 (I think Tetsuya will actually be relieved at the moment they meet again. It will be...exciting!), SekseeDragoness (I have that 'kitty problem' a lot, even though I'm not having a litter!), Parnita (The Ichi/Bya cuteness will continue and yes, even though the babies stay in reiatsu form, there will be enough to make Tetsuya very big!) Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

"Ugh," Ichigo groaned, nausea assaulting his senses as he rose out of sleep.

He stumbled out of bed and flash stepped towards the bathroom, belatedly remembering that he wasn't at Shiba Manor, but had accepted an invitation from Byakuya to stay at Kuchiki Manor while they awaited confirmation of their success in conceiving their heirs. He crashed gracelessly into the bedroom wall and dropped onto his bottom, reeling as he tried to hold back from expelling the sickness.

"Ichigo-sama?" inquired a youthful, male voice, "Sir, I heard a crash. Are you all right?"

Ichigo started to answer, but felt his stomach lurch and staggered back to his feet. He barely made it into the bathroom, then collapsed onto his knees and surrendered to the need to empty his stomach.

"Ichigo-sama!" his attendant exclaimed, "I will bring the healer, sir!"

"H-hey," Ichigo called to the escaping youth, "It's okay. I'm just...URP!"

He bent over the toilet again, feeling a blush rise on his skin as he recognized Byakuya's footstep on the bathroom floor. He heaved several more times, then fell back against the wall, groaning as he accepted a cool, wet washcloth from the Kuchiki heir and washed his sweating face.

"Are you all right now?" Byakuya inquired, smirking.

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, grimacing as another flutter of nausea tugged at his insides, "And I'm pretty sure we can confirm that either we were successful planting the Shiba heir or your staff poisoned my dinner last night."

"Well, as my staff is so fond of you," Byakuya said, looking amused, "I think we must assume you have your heir."

"What about you?" Ichigo asked, "You don't look sick at all. Have you been dizzy?"

"No, not as yet," Byakuya said, a flicker of worry touching his dark eyes for a moment, "But not everyone experiences morning sickness with pregnancy...and it has only been a day. While the symptoms come on more quickly in male gestation, it is not really a concern if they take a little longer to develop."

The two looked up as Ichigo's attendant raced back into the bathroom with the Kuchiki clan healer on his heels.

"Toshi informs me you are unwell, Ichigo-sama?" the healer inquired.

"Naw," the Shiba heir quipped, "I was just looking for goldfish in the toilet bowl...yeah, I was sick, but I'm all right now."

"I think we should check for conception now, ne?" Michio said, smiling.

"You go right ahead. I am probably done being sick for now."

"Probably," the healer agreed, "until tomorrow."

"Oh man..." Ichigo complained, scowling, "This part kinda sucks."

He inhaled in surprise as Byakuya dropped to his knees behind him and wrapped his arms around Ichigo, rubbing his belly gently and infusing the area with calming reiatsu as Michio examined the Shiba heir.

"Oh," Ichigo sighed, "that feels...really good. Keep doing that, okay?"

"I was going to suggest perhaps one or two such infusions each day," said the healer, "The infusions bring relief because they balance your reiatsu and the developing child's, helping your systems handle the gestation with less discomfort."

"That sounds good to me," Ichigo chuckled, "except...eh..."

Byakuya looked at him questioningly and the healer smiled.

"Ah, you have discovered the _side effect_ of the infusion method."

Ichigo blushed brightly and shifted slightly to hide the evidence of his rising arousal. Byakuya gazed back at him through smoky, desirous eyes.

"A-hem, well," Michio said, standing, "I will leave you to it. Please let me know if you encounter any other discomfort, sirs."

Toshi bit his lower lip, holding back a smile and exited the room alongside the healer.

Byakuya handed the Shiba heir a glass of water and watched quietly as his rinsed his mouth.

"Uh, maybe I should leave," Ichigo said, shifting uncomfortably, "I mean, we're just supposed to be dating now and..."

"It is fine," Byakuya assured him, "If having our child makes you uncomfortable, I will do what I can to relieve your discomfort, Ichigo."

"But I thought that you wanted to take things slowly."

"I did, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable just because..."

"It's fine," Ichigo insisted, "I can handle it."

He blushed instantly as he realized what he had said.

"S-sorry."

He took a steadying breath and had it swept away again as Byakuya's arms encircled him and the Kuchiki heir's warm lips crashed together with his.

"Mmmm, Byakuya, are you...?"

His words were silenced as Byakuya's mouth fastened more firmly on his and the Kuchiki heir backed him slowly out of the bathroom. He guided the Shiba heir back to the bed and lowered him onto it, still kissing him and opening their yukatas. He kissed his way slowly down the side of Ichigo's throat, then nipped at his collarbone, letting his graceful fingertips tease the younger man's erect nipples.

"Oh, that feels really, really, _really_ good!" purred Ichigo, tilting his head back and raising his hips to try to find some friction against Byakuya's poised body.

He grunted discontentedly as the Kuchiki heir raised himself slightly, denying Ichigo the desired contact.

"Patience," he intoned softly, the promise in his voice sending a longing throb through Ichigo's hungry loins.

"Okay," Ichigo panted, "Just...have a little mercy, okay? You said you wouldn't leave me uncomfortable."

"And I will not," Byakuya promised, kissing Ichigo's sternum, then working his way slowly downward as the now very aroused Shiba heir watched with darkening, lusty eyes.

Byakuya sank his tongue into the younger man's navel, lingering for a moment before withdrawing and placing a line of kisses that followed the fine ginger hairs down to Ichigo's flushed nether region. Ichigo groaned and shifted fitfully as the Kuchiki heir's slender hands parted his thighs and Byakuya's warm lips and invading tongue had Ichigo at the lovely man's mercy in moments. He moaned unabashedly, unable to hold his hips still and thrashing as Byakuya's manipulations left him panting heavily and sweating more profusely. He quivered and barely held onto his composure as he was teased inside and out and Byakuya's pretty pink tongue launched him over the edge and into sweet oblivion. He shuddered and groaned loudly in surrender, releasing in sharp, explosive pulses, then collapsing onto his back, his ears ringing loudly and his eyes dimming. Then, his heart fluttered painfully in his chest as Byakuya coaxed him into his arms and kissed him into near senselessness.

"Are you more comfortable now?" the Kuchiki heir asked, his expression, Ichigo thought, unusually sedate considering what he had just been doing.

"Oh yeah," Ichigo sighed contentedly, "But uh, aren't you still...?"

"I am fine," Byakuya assured him calmly, "You were the one who was more uncomfortable."

"But you have to be after _that_!" Ichigo insisted, sitting up and pushing the edges of the Kuchiki heir's yukata aside to reveal his blushing privates, "See?"

"I told you, it's f..."

He went silent and Ichigo surged forward and brought him down onto his belly, then reached around to pleasure him while rubbing warmly against his bare bottom and nibbling teasingly on the back of his neck. He breathed in Byakuya's light, sweet scent and felt himself hardening again.

_And Michio said that we'd do this once or twice a day? Really? Yikes!_

He meant to take his time, but Byakuya's attractive scent and the soft tickles of silken hair coupled with the low, erotic sounds he made swiftly undid the Shiba heir's patience. He prepared the writhing Kuchiki heir quickly and invaded from behind, smiling as Byakuya's fingers entangled themselves in the sheets and clenched, and his pale bottom rose to encourage the younger man's hungry thrusts.

_Oh my kami, Byakuya is beyond beautiful like this! _

_He's amazing..._

Ichigo's mind went blank as Byakuya made a sound of surrender and his body shuddered in release. His own body responded instantly, filling and sating the reeling Kuchiki heir and leaving the two in a pleasant tangle of bodies.

"Byakuya?" Ichigo sighed sleepily.

"Hmmm?"

"Hey, I know we're kinda making a pretty big jump forward, but...is it still okay to keep dating too?"

"If it is your pleasure," Byakuya answered, lacing their fingers together and smiling warmly into his pillow.

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya slipped out of his room and nearly tripped over the large black barn cat that had been waiting in the gardens.

"Shoushi, what's gotten into you!" he complained, shaking his head and flash stepping away.

He headed out the back gates of the garden, then turned away from the forest trail, onto a smaller one that led him past groves of sakura and plum trees, then into the family cemetery. He passed through the entrance and turned to the right, seeking a lovely granite marker near the end of the row. He dropped onto his knees in the shade of a plum tree and sighed softly, reading Naoki's name silently, then one in smaller print beneath it.

_Akemi...beauty of dawn._

_It is no wonder that dawn never comes in my inner world. You father and I lived in the darkness of Itamigiri, then even though I escaped, your light never touched my face. You were there one moment and gone the next...a lovely dream that wasn't meant to be._

"Hello Naoki. Hello Akemi," Tetsuya said, smiling at the names on the marker as he rubbed his slightly aching belly, "I have wonderful news for you!"

He paused, smiling more widely and closing his eyes, feeling the slight, lingering feelings of dizziness and nausea.

"I told you that I wasn't going to be included in the mating ritual to restore our population, but when I accompanied Byakuya-sama to the ritual site, something...incredible happened! After leaving Byakuya-sama, I ran into that foul Orochi. He tried to corner me and I took refuge in one of the open rooms. When the ritual began, I was locked in, but it was with the Shihoin Prince Yuushiro. At first, I didn't know what to do. I tried to calm him, but he drank the elixirs and was overcome."

Tetsuya blushed brightly as he remembered.

"We were together so many times, Naoki! He was so passionate, I was overwhelmed. And then...

_Tetsuya blushed furiously as Yuushiro's arms embraced him firmly and he spoke affectionately into the blue-eyed noble's ear._

_"It's your turn now."_

_He didn't dare to meet the Shihoin prince's eyes, but looked down at the slender hand that caressed him provocatively._

_"Oh...oh Yuushiro-sama, I...I shouldn't! I am not even supposed to be here. I have already invited disaster by allowing you to make love to me."_

_"Don't worry about being half-blooded," Yuushiro giggled, "My clan doesn't care so much about that."_

_"But they might care that I was not one actually chosen for the ritual."_

_"Stop worrying about that! What's done is done. And I want you to do it to me now. It will feel good. I know it will. Please..."_

_"But I...when I was...with someone who wasn't gentle, it hurt, Yuushiro-sama, and I might be clumsy. I c-could hurt you."_

_Tetsuya froze as Yuushiro's golden eyes glowed brightly, sending a feeling of warmth and calm all through his body and leaving him relaxed in Yuushiro's arms._

_"It's all right," Yuushiro assured him, capturing his fingers and observing him with lusty eyes as he accepted them into his mouth and caressed them gently, "You see, you are a gentle person. You are a kind person. You would never hurt me."_

_Yuushiro bathed the Tetsuya's trembling fingers generously in his saliva, then captured the blue-eyed noble's hand and guided it downward. Tetsuya's body shivered with memory as his fingers neared the prince's alert nether region. And he froze again at the first touch. Seeing his distress, Yuushiro leaned forward and kissed him several times, then looked deeply into his eyes._

_"Am I your lover tonight?" he asked softly._

_"Yes, Yuushiro-sama," Tetsuya whispered back, nuzzling the prince's soft cheek._

_"And do you desire me?"_

_"I do!" Tetsuya exclaimed, "B-but...!"_

_"Shh..." Yuushiro coaxed him, moving his hips to encourage Tetsuya, "Watch my face. Watch my body. Feel what you are doing to me."_

_"Yuushiro-sama!"_

_He paused, staring, as the prince's fingers caressed his temples lightly and Tetsuya felt an odd feeling of disorientation._

_"Yuushiro-sama," he inquired curiously, "what did you do?"_

_"You have strong powers of empathy," the prince explained, "Our connection will allow you to sense my pleasure and any pain. You...don't have to worry about hurting me. Is that not a relief?"_

_Tetsuya swallowed hard._

_"It is."_

_Yuushiro nuzzled his cheek disarmingly._

_"Then, you will do it?" he asked, deepening the flush on Tetsuya's face and throat and sending a tremor through his body, "You will make love to me?"_

_"If it is what you want, Yuushiro-sama. J-just, if it hurts, you must stop."_

_Yuushiro nodded and slid forward onto his lap, raising himself slightly as Tetsuya ignored how hard it made his body shake, and positioned himself at the prince's offered entrance. Yuushiro's golden eyes entranced him, and before he quite realized what he was doing, his hips moved and Yuushiro's mouth opened into a breathy moan. Tetsuya watched closely for any signs of discomfort, but saw only rapturous pleasure on the prince's lovely face as their bodies were joined in slow, careful thrusts._

_Tetsuya held his hips perfectly still for several minutes, kissing Yuushiro's eager lips and running his slender hands up and down the prince's arched back, and over his pert bottom._

_"Ah!" Yuushiro panted impatiently, rocking his own hips and teasing Tetsuya into motion._

"It was heavenly, Naoki," Tetsuya whispered, remembering, "I don't know why I was afraid before. I suppose it was when Orochi forced me and it hurt so badly that time that I..."

He broke off as he sensed suddenly that someone was watching him. Using his peripheral vision, he spotted Orochi in the trees, off to his left.

"Why did you come here?" he asked in a low, angry voice.

"I heard you weren't well," Orochi said, moving closer, "so I came to see how you were feeling."

"I am fine," Tetsuya said shortly, "Now, if you will excuse me."

"Ah, but I have interrupted you. You looked like you were having a heart to heart with your dear, departed. Don't you think that's a little unnecessary? After all, why speak to the dead when the living can listen to you?"

"I hope you aren't suggesting I confide in _you_."

"Why not?" Orochi asked, shrugging, "I'll hear you better than that dead boy over there."

"Damn you, shut up!" Tetsuya snapped, flash stepping forward and striking at the other man. He made a sound of dismay as Orochi's hand captured his wrist and he was stopped, staring into Orochi's cold, black eyes. Orochi gripped him tightly and his gaze darkened.

"Why did you run away from me last night? I told you I would have been fine with breeding you after I was done with my chosen partner."

"You make me sick! Let me go!" Tetsuya seethed, raising his reiatsu and trying to break away.

"Pity you didn't think to set a waterform," Orochi teased him, "I know you could escape if you had one. Oh, but wait, there's one in Arashi's stall, ne? Or...is there?"

"You bastard!" Tetsuya howled, struggling as Orochi pulled him close, so that his hot breath teased Tetsuya's flushed throat.

"You've gotten reckless and belligerent since back then," Orochi noted, "You should be more respectful to your superiors, Tetsuya. You know I have no problem punishing you if you disrespect _me_!"

"LET GO!" Tetsuya screamed, loosing a blast of kido, only to have it negated and Orochi's face come even closer to his.

"Stop fighting it," Orochi said in a suddenly dead-calm voice, "No one wants you, Tetsuya. No one loves you. You should let me comfort you in your loneliness."

"You're wrong!" the blue-eyed noble hissed, letting water form around his hands to make them slippery, then breaking away from his black-eyed cousin.

"Am I?" Orochi said haughtily, "Then, where is this great love of yours? Show him to me, Tetsuya...and he will end up as dead as your last!"

He disappeared in a scathing flash step, leaving Tetsuya seething.

_Why won't he leave me alone?_

_Why does he always torment me?_

_And what can I do if he finds out about the baby? I have to protect my baby!_

He bit his lip gently and laid a hand on his belly.

_I have to find a way to protect you._

_But that means admitting to what happened!_

_Byakuya-sama will be horrified and worried. The elders will be furious. I don't know what to do!_

_What can I do?_


	6. Fighting for Love

**Chapter 6: Fighting For Love**

**(Thanks so much to Picklez80 (Here you go!), Kittykins (Wishes granted!), hyakuningiri** **(You are so very sweet! Enjoy!), Aizenfan6969 (Oh, he will!), Kamelcake (Kitty claws coming right up!), Parnita (Ichi/Bya will radiate between cuteness and hotness and Tetsuya is about to be rescued from a dangerous situation!), Fairy Kakera (Yuushiro arrivera juste à temps pour aider à Tetsuya des ennuis!), Anon (The 'dating' will go on and Orochi will meet the claws soon!), and Kyuumihaira (He's about to make his well-timed entrance.) Happy reading! Love, Spunky)**

Ichigo woke with a snort and realized first, that he had fallen asleep in Byakuya's bed, second, that the Kuchiki heir had been watching him sleep and third, that he was, once again, sick to his stomach. He groaned and dashed to the bathroom, where he emptied his stomach, then let out a relieved sigh as Byakuya appeared behind him and offered him a slow, comforting infusion. He grimaced at the instant feeling of arousal the close contact and warm reiatsu exchange gave him.

"Ichigo, you do not have to fight your instincts," Byakuya said, nuzzling his cheek, "I am happy to..."

"Yeah, I know," said the Shiba heir, "but I really want to slow down and just have some fun. You said you had something to show me. So, why don't we get dressed and we'll go and do that together?"

"Very well," the Kuchiki heir chuckled, "I must admit, I have been looking forward to our next date."

"So, how dressed up do we need to be?"

Byakuya gave him a look of approval.

"What we are wearing is fine," he said, helping Ichigo to his feet.

"We're going in our pajamas?" Ichigo laughed, looking confused, "Really?"

"Yes, come with me. We will be having breakfast again, but in a much different place. I hope that you enjoy it."

"Well, I'm done being sick, so I'm pretty hungry now. I think as long as food is involved, I'll be happy as a clam."

Byakuya led him out of the bathroom and through the garden doors, onto the wooden walkway.

"Hey, are you even a little nauseous?" Ichigo asked, "because I'm feeling kind of pathetic always throwing up and getting dizzy spells. Are you...okay?"

"I am not ill," Byakuya assured him, "Unfortunately, I do not seem to be showing symptoms of pregnancy yet."

Ichigo grinned.

"Well, maybe we just need me to try a few more times."

"It is useless to try without the elixir," Byakuya reminded him, "Not so many of us are natural Breeder males like Tetsuya is. But, do not concern yourself. I may just be slow to show symptoms."

"All right," Ichigo said good naturedly, breathing his next words suggestively into the noble's ear, "But I don't mind at all if we need to do it more."

"Hmmm," Byakuya huffed, trying to make it sound disapproving, but falling just short.

Byakuya slowed as they reached a large, ornate wooden door that looked different from the other manor doors.

"What is this?" Ichigo asked curiously.

Byakuya looked back at him cryptically.

"It is a place that only the Kuchiki clan leader, his or her guests and the royal family may enter. This is the entrance to the Kuchiki family archive."

Ichigo's eyes widened.

"This is your family's archive?" he asked.

"You've heard of it?" Byakuya asked, looking pleased.

"Yeah, who hasn't? Rukia told me about it."

"Ah, yes. I have allowed her to enter it with me on occasion."

"She said it was the most amazing thing she's ever seen," Ichigo said appreciatively as Byakuya touched the door with his palm, and the doorway opened in front of them.

Although he had heard from Rukia about the archive, nothing could compare to having it open up in front of him, an impossibly large place that could not have fit into the building they had entered.

"The archive exists in a pocket dimension that includes a door into the king's archive in the royal realm. As you know, each of the great noble clans is assigned a task or given an artifact to guard. This archive represents the whole recorded history of Soul Society. Our family records everything here in clan leader diaries and other historical texts and stores them for safekeeping. We also house historical artifacts, some of them too dangerous to allow outside the archive anymore.

"This is incredible!"

He paused as the smell of food drifted across his senses.

"Oh, I think I smell breakfast!" he said, looking around.

"This way," Byakuya directed him, "There is a small veranda with a view out into the gardens."

"You have gardens _inside_ the archive?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya nodded.

"Some of what we protect are samples of exotic plants and such that are very rare or in danger of extinction."

Ichigo followed the noble into the gardens, where Torio and Akio waited near a table laden with delicious looking food.

"Oh kami, this is the perfect date!" Ichigo sighed, sitting down alongside Byakuya and digging in enthusiastically.

Distracted by the food and lovely surroundings, the Shiba heir missed the sad look in Byakuya's eyes as he watched Ichigo plow into the mountain of food. He ate sparingly, himself, his dark eyes troubled and his mind returning to his earlier meeting with the clan healer.

_"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama. I sense nothing yet. But please try not to be discouraged. Sometimes gestation takes longer in one than in another. You must try to be patient, and if you don't begin to show symptoms soon, we will look at other options. But best be optimistic. I am sure it will be all right."_

"You okay? You're not eating very much," Ichigo said, distracting him out of his thoughts.

"I am just not hungry," Byakuya replied, averting his eyes.

He sucked in a surprised breath as Ichigo slipped an arm around him and engaged his mouth in a long, warm kiss, while comforting him with a warm embrace.

"Why did you do that?" the Kuchiki heir asked quietly.

Ichigo gave him a surprisingly perceptive look.

"Because you needed it," he answered, "Byakuya, look, it's going to be okay."

"Is it?" Byakuya asked, trying to keep his voice calm, "Perhaps I simply cannot..."

"Don't think that way," Ichigo scolded him gently, taking his hand and placing it on his abdomen, "It's going to happen for you."

"And what if it doesn't?" Byakuya inquired wearily.

Ichigo's smile passed through his doubts and calmed him inside instantly.

"If it doesn't, I'll just have to have two, that's all!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Tetsuya checked in with the last guard post and started back towards the main house of the Kuchiki estate, his mind wandering aimlessly and his stomach growling noisily.

_There are some blackberries on the bushes just ahead,_ Arashi informed him, _Why don't we stop and you can take the edge off your hunger?_

"What a lovely idea," Tetsuya sighed, watching as the stallion honed in on the berry covered bushes and came to a halt.

He slid down off of Arashi's back, scowling at the heat and the itchiness of his clothing. He bore it for as long as it took to pick and eat several handfuls of the sweet, juicy berries, then he stripped his clothing away and availed himself of the nearby river to cool off and relax. Arashi's head lifted and his ears perked.

"What is it?" Tetsuya asked, "Is something wrong?"

_No, I just sensed a group of spirit steeds a bit to the west of us._

Tetsuya smiled.

"Go on, then. You should socialize with them. Being always around me isn't good. You end up not knowing how to act like a horse!"

_Or you end up not knowing how to act like a civilized human, _Arashi teased him, stomping his foot and splashing cold water onto Tetsuya's bare, white flesh.

"Stop it, you nitwit! Go and bother them. I will meet you back at home later."

The stallion broke into a trot and disappeared into the brush, leaving Tetsuya alone in the sparkling river.

Tetsuya waded in up to his hips and looked down into the clear water, watching tiny minnows swim by and stepping carefully to avoid any sharp rocks on the river's bottom. He sighed contentedly, closing his eyes and listening to the chirping of the birds in the trees that lined the shore and the bushes scattered all around.

_Arashi's right, I don't know how to act like a civilized human, or at least, I didn't until Koji was given the task of helping me adjust. But even though I know how I am supposed to act, I feel more connected to the lakes and rivers, to the sky and grasses, the birds and the flowers than I do to the family I belong to...well...excepting Byakuya-sama, of course. But he is with Ichigo-sama now. Not that I mind. He should be with someone who will love him passionately, and it seems that Ichigo-sama does. I just suppose I miss the hours we used to spend out here together, when Byakuya-sama wanted to forget being an heir for a while and be a wild thing like me._

Tetsuya's hand slid down to his abdomen and rubbed gently.

_There is already the beginning of some change there. I wonder what that means. When I was bearing Naoki's child, I didn't show until much later. Perhaps I am having twins._

He tried to imagine what his children would look like.

_Perhaps a boy with Yuushiro-sama's golden eyes and my black hair. I wonder if my child will be a shapeshifter. Yuushiro-sama is a Shihoin and my waterforms also allow me to change shapes. It will be interesting to see how that affects our..._

"You are very distracted, aren't you?" Orochi's voice said suddenly as his arm wrapped around Tetsuya from behind and a silver band snapped into place around his wrist.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Tetsuya cried, struggling as his black-eyed cousin dragged him onto the shore of the river.

"Let's get you out of the water, ne?" Orochi laughed wickedly, "You see, I know that even with the limiter, if you are in the water, you can still use a few tricks. Here on dry land, you are much more manageable.

"Let go of me!" Tetsuya howled, twisting wildly, "Get off!"

"I told you I would breed you," Orochi went on, holding him down, "And here you are, waiting naked for me. You must really want that child. But I know why."

"Shut up!" Tetsuya screamed, "I don't want you to touch me, you horrid beast! Get off!"

He twisted his body again, but found himself too capably trapped beneath Orochi's partially undressed body.

"No!" he panted, "No, stop it!"

"Why should I stop?" Orochi breathed into his ear, pinning him on his belly and sliding a hand down between his thighs, "If you have a child with a full-blooded family member, your child will be accepted someday as the heir to your father's lost subfamily, Tetsuya. Don't you want that? You do, don't you?"

He whispered is shikai command and a long, slender snake wrapped around Tetsuya's hands, binding them together. Two more slid down his bare sides and curled around each thigh, spreading them wide. Orochi looked down, observing his restrained cousin's naked body hungrily.

"Of course," he said into Tetsuya's flushed ear, "You won't be able to do that with my children, because you won't ever be able to convince anyone I am the father! I know how to cover my tracks."

"You bastard!" Tetsuya gasped, closing his eyes tightly and continuing to struggle as the binding snake's fangs stung his wrists and he felt his cousin position himself to enter him, "Don't, Orochi!"

"What are you going to do, half-blood?" Orochi asked condescendingly, "You are a disgrace. You reached bankai, but you can't even fight me off. I am surprised and rather disappointed at how you let me approach you and overcome you so easily. We'll see if with a little punishment for your carelessness, you become more cautious!"

He made a sound of annoyance as Tetsuya twisted again and nearly tore away from the snake binding his hands. Orochi placed a hand in between his shoulder blades and shoved him down again, moving in aggressively to complete his conquest.

Just as his cousin's hardness made contact, a blazing flash step sounded and Orochi hissed furiously as something raked across his back and tore him away from his cousin. Tetsuya gasped in surprise as he snakes holding him down hissed furiously in reactions as they too suffered deep gashes from whatever had attacked Orochi.

"What are you, you little demon?" Orochi demanded, using his reiatsu to protect himself as his attacker moved with blinding speed, slashing at him repeatedly, then firing a wicked blast of kido that sent him tumbling away.

He sensed his pursuer closing in and disappeared into the distance, leaving Tetsuya still struggling in the grip of the three black snakes. A catlike yowl sounded and more bleeding lines appeared on the snakes, making them writhe and slowly burn away as Orochi's power faded.

Tetsuya remained on the ground, face down, with his eyes closed tightly and his body shaking uncontrollably. He screamed and fought wildly as a hand touched his shoulder, then backed up against a sakura tree, staring as the figure in front of him resolved into a familiar form.

"Y-yuushiro-s-sama?" he managed in a broken whisper, "S-sorry, I d-didn't know it was you."

"Are you all right?" the Shihoin prince asked in a deeply concerned tone, "I would have pursued that animal, but I had to be sure you didn't disappear again, now that I found you."

"How d-did you find me?" Tetsuya asked, looking around for his scattered clothes, then feeling a twinge inside as Yuushiro helped him gather them, then politely turned away while he dressed.

"I thought that you might be a Kuchiki," the prince explained, stealing a glance at Tetsuya out of the corner of his eye as the lovely young man dressed, then blushing and looking away as Tetsuya nearly caught him, "because you knew about Kuchiki Orochi and his cruelty.

"I still can't believe they paired you with _him_," Tetsuya said shakily, "He is awful and cruel."

"W-well, actually, he wasn't paired with me," Yuushiro explained sheepishly, "I mistook his room number for mine. It seems I made a few mistakes that night, ne?"

Tetsuya bit his lip gently and flushed at the unintended insinuation.

"But I'm so glad I found you!" Yuushiro exclaimed.

"I didn't expect you'd come looking," Tetsuya reasoned, "because I wasn't supposed to be with you at all. Not that it wasn't wonderful, but I told you, I am a half-blood."

"And I told you that doesn't matter," Yuushiro chided him, "besides, I had to find you for another reason."

"Oh?" Tetsuya queried.

"I spoke to our clan healer, and he confirmed that I am carrying your child, Kuchiki-san."

"That's wonderful news!" Tetsuya said breathlessly, "but aren't they upset at all that you were with...well, me?"

"My family is very happy, especially my mother when I told her what beautiful blue eyes you have. She loves blue eyes."

"Ah, that is good, then."

"But you must have begun to have morning sickness!" the prince said excitedly, "And Kuchiki-san, I must tell you what the healer said. He said that since we did it so many times and in cat form, you may be having six or seven babies!"

Tetsuya's eyes rounded and his mouth dropped open.

"Did...did you s-say...?"

He swallowed hard.

"Six or s-seven?"

"Yes!" Yuushiro said proudly, moving closer and examining Tetsuya's dismayed expression, "I was excited to hear that. But you look sort of unhappy, Kuchiki-san. Are you not happy we are going to have a lot of children?"

He blinked in surprise as the blue-eyed noble swayed, then collapsed into his arms.

"Kuchiki-san!" Yuushiro exclaimed.

He smiled affectionately and lifted Tetsuya into his arms. He started back in the direction of Kuchiki Manor, but skidded to a stop as a tall, black Arabian stallion suddenly appeared in his path. The horse turned his head and gazed at the Shihoin prince, who stared back at him raptly.

"You are a very pretty horse," he said appreciatively, "but I need to get past you to carry my friend back to Kuchiki Manor."

_How was my master injured?_

Yuushiro jumped, nearly dropping Tetsuya as the wispy voice sounded in his mind.

"Kuchiki-san is your master?" the Shihoin prince repeated, tilting his head curiously, "But then, you have his eyes, don't you? You're a very different sort of horse, aren't you? But you say he is your master?"

_Yes._

"Then, may we have a ride back to Kuchiki Manor?" Yuushiro asked politely, "Kuchiki-san just fainted, but he is having my babies and will need to see a healer at once!"

_M-master is having babies?_

"Yes," the prince confirmed, "Our healer said he might have six or seven!"

_Six or seven babies? _the stallion repeated, _No wonder he fainted. I will carry you to Kuchiki Manor at once._

"Thank you!" Yuushiro said gratefully, "You are very kind...erm..."

_Arashi._

"You are very kind, Arashi-chan," Yuushiro said, carefully lifting Tetsuya onto the stallion's back, then mounting and holding him in place.

Arashi turned and broke into an easy gallop, while the prince held on with his legs and held Tetsuya against him.

"Eh, Arashi-chan?" the prince queried, "Will you tell me something?"

_What is it?_

"What is Kuchiki-san's first name?"

_You are having babies with my master and you don't even know his name? _Arashi mused.

"W-well," the prince giggled merrily, "Things did happen very quickly between us."

_So it seems..._

"So, his name, Arashi-chan?"

_Tetsuya_, Arashi answered, _His name is Kuchiki Tetsuya._

"Tetsuya-san," Yuushiro repeated, smiling and nuzzling the unconscious shinigami's soft cheek, "I am very pleased to meet you!"


	7. The Fugitive

**Chapter 7: The Fugitive**

**(My gratitude to Parnita (I love the mixture of youthful energy with some advanced maturity and wisdom because being a young leader demands it. So glad you are enjoying the couples!), Kittykins (The wait is over!), Lochness Nessie (Aww, thanks! Glad you are loving it!), Picklez80 (You are very welcome!), Tomyallen (Tetsuya will be off balance and things will be chaotic, but Yuushiro will make sure no one hurts him, and he will take special aim o Orochi!), Aizenfan6969 (And about to get wilder!), Winterheart2000 (Luckily, there's a lot more story to tell!), TehWonderer (I think Yuushiro's more than willing to dish out some nice slashes if Orochi oversteps again!), Blood87 (Thanks so much, and here's more!), Kyuumihaira (Arashi's funny in that certain characters, especially Renji, bring out the rascal in him, but he has a respect for Yuushiro because he senses the strength of Tetsuya's attachment to him.), Fairy Kakera (Merci beaucoup! Voici plus de jouir.), Dragonprincess01 (Tetsuya may faint all over again at what happens next!), Nyma (You've got it!), Willow (Yuushiro is really fun to write. I love how different he is. I hope Kubo gives him more attention in the manga.), Sunless Nights (I'm so glad you like it!), Jazzybella (I love the dynamic that's always between Byakuya and Ichigo. It ranges from sweet to feisty and sometimes Ichigo gets steamed, but they are wonderful together!), and Tcas0518 (That's right! Yuushiro's in full on protection mode now!) Happy reading! Love, Spunky)**

"Bring him in here, Yuushiro-sama!" Koji said urgently, moving ahead of the prince to turn down Tetsuya's bed, "I will go and bring our healer at once."

The Shihoin prince nodded and carried the still unconscious Tetsuya into his room and laid him in his bed. A second attendant appeared, bearing a tray on which laid a cup of hot green tea, smelling salts and a cool, damp cloth. Yuushiro took the cloth and washed Tetsuya's face gently. The attendant took a small capsule from the tray, then broke it and held it under the unconscious man's nose. Tetsuya winced and turned his head away, leaving him looking up at Yuushiro as his blue eyes opened.

"O-oh!" gasped softly.

"Are you all right now, Tetsuya-san?"

"Wh-what? Tetsuya mumbled dizzily, "You know my name?"

"Arashi-chan told me," the prince informed him.

"Oh...I see," Tetsuya said, gathering himself as the healer arrived with Byakuya and Shiba Ichigo a step behind.

Tetsuya's eyes met Byakuya's and widened anxiously.

"Tetsuya," the clan leader inquired, frowning as he spotted the Shihoin prince, "What happened to you? The messenger said that you had lost consciousness."

"Ah...I..." Tetsuya stammered uncertainly.

"It was my fault," Byakuya-san," admitted Yuushiro, "You see, I delivered some...unexpected news to Tetsuya-san that took him by surprise. He just fainted."

Byakuya's eyes narrowed.

"What did you tell my cousin that distressed him to the point of fainting, then?"

"Eh," Yuushiro began, his face blushing slightly and a helpless grin overtaking it, "W-well, you see, there was a sort of...misunderstanding that happened at the ritual."

"A..._misunderstanding_?" Byakuya repeated, his frown deepening and his reiatsu flickering warningly.

"Y-yes!" the prince exclaimed, "You see, I made a mistake on my room assignment and wrongfully thought I was paired with a simply monstrous man...s-sorry, he was of your clan. And I couldn't bear the thought of such a man touching me, so I escaped into one of the other rooms to avoid him. It was all a big mistake, you see?"

"Oh, I see that part of the story just fine," Byakuya said, glowering at the young Shihoin, "But, tell me how Tetsuya became involved and what you told him that unnerved him."

"Orochi was harassing me," Tetsuya interjected.

Byakuya's dark eyes went from angry to deadly, glinting dangerously.

"Hey, take it easy, okay?" Ichigo said bracingly, laying a hand on his arm.

Byakuya ignored him completely.

"_He_ put his hands on you?" the Kuchiki heir asked, his voice icy with rage.

Tetsuya's face went pale.

"B-byakuya-sama..." he managed unsteadily, "it's all right. H-he didn't..."

"He cornered Tetsuya-san and said horrible things to him!" exclaimed Yuushiro.

"I broke free of him and used my powers to conceal myself in one of the rooms," Tetsuya went on.

Yuushiro giggled.

"So, quite by accident, we were trapped in the same room when the ritual began. Tetsuya-san was a perfect gentleman and didn't drink the elixir, but I did, by mistake..."

"You drank it _by mistake_?" Byakuya repeated.

"I was nervous and we were trapped together and didn't even know each other. But Tetsuya-san was sweet and kind, and he treated me with such respect. I was quite overcome by him."

"You...assaulted my cousin?" Byakuya asked, his voice going eerily calm.

"No!" Tetsuya objected, "I swear, it wasn't like that at all!"

"Tetsuya-san is right," agreed Yuushiro, "I wouldn't have laid a hand on him, except that we began to resonate...and that caused us to react to each other, even though Tetsuya-san had no elixir. The intensity of our resonance was very powerful. We were intimate many times."

He paused, noting that Byakuya's expression had changed suddenly and had gone from near rage to quiet distress.

"You...?"

Tetsuya stared back at Byakuya through widened, terrified eyes, his lips parted, but unable to form any words.

"Tetsuya is not able to bear children," the Kuchiki heir managed softly.

"Oh, I think you are very wrong about that," Yuushiro said with certainty, "Have your healer examine him. You will only find I am right. Tetsuya-san is pregnant...and so am I."

Byakuya did a doubletake and went speechless for a moment. He paled slightly as he met Tetsuya's frightened eyes again.

"Yuushiro-sama is correct," said the healer, "Tetsuya-san is with child...erm...multiple reiatsus are present. I cannot say exactly how many, but they are in excess of three, sir."

"There, you see?" Yuushiro said, grinning, "Tetsuya-san is having my babies. I want your permission to marry Tetsuya-san immediately!"

Byakuya froze, going inside himself for several minutes. When he emerged, he was calm again, but worry filled his voice.

"Shihoin Yuushiro, you misunderstand. I did not say that he could not conceive children, I said that Tetsuya cannot _bear_ them. He lost a child some time ago and was damaged. It is too dangerous to him to carry even one child. Bearing so many may kill him!"

"Wh-what?" the Shihoin prince stammered, his face paling, "Our babies will...hurt Tetsuya-san?"

Byakuya let out a shaky breath.

"Tetsuya, you didn't tell him?"

"I..."

"It's not Tetsuya-san's fault," Yuushiro said firmly, "By the time we realized that we were alone together, the door closed and we were locked in. I drank the elixir in a moment of anxiety and I was overcome by that and our resonance before he could even tell me his name, Byakuya-san!"

"And I was so dismayed by what happened that before Yuushiro-sama woke, I fled the room as the door unlocked. I didn't mean to disobey the rules, Byakuya-sama. But...please, you can't ask me to just...to...!"

Tetsuya shivered and tears overflowed, leaving him momentarily unable to speak. Byakuya moved closer, sitting down on the bed and sliding an arm around his overwhelmed cousin.

"P-please...please don't!" Tetsuya sobbed, "I know it's risky, but...I love Yuushiro-sama. He is my true resonant, and I can't bear to think of...!"

Byakuya froze for a moment, his eyes darkening with memory.

_"I am sorry, Byakuya-sama, I have done all I can. Tetsuya-kun's situation is desperate. If I do not intervene and end his pregnancy, he is going to die. It is horrible, but a decision must be made. I can deliver the child or I can save Tetsuya-kun. I simply can't do both."_

_Byakuya stared at him through devastated eyes and quivered inwardly at the choice laid before him._

_"If...if you take the child, he will...recover fully?" he asked._

_"He will recover fully," the healer confirmed, "but because of the amount of damage to his abdominal region, I must warn you that further attempts at using his Breeder ability would be dangerous. I can't promise he would survive it."_

B-byakuya-sama?" Tetsuya said, leaning into his shoulder and bringing him partway out of his reverie.

_"This child is all that is left of his lover, Naoki. Tetsuya's heart will be broken. How can I...?"_

_"I know it is an unfair thing to ask of you, but there is no one else to speak on his behalf. You must choose, and you must do so now, Byakuya-sama."_

"Tetsuya..." he said softly, "I..."

The blue-eyed noble stiffened at the sound of his voice.

"I do not have the right to choose for you," he said finally, "You know well the risks and you know you can depend on our healer to help you through this."

"Thank you!" Tetsuya managed breathlessly, burying his face in his cousin's shoulder, "I know you only want what is best for me. And maybe you think it's a mistake. But I can't bear the thought of losing such a beautiful thing! For more than a hundred years, I have mourned Naoki, b-but I have finally found peace and love again. If it came to it, I would willingly give my life to protect that!"

"But...I don't want you to die!" Yuushiro objected, his golden eyes leaking and his body shaking softly, "I didn't know, Tetsuya-san, or I would..."

"Don't say any more, please!" Tetsuya insisted, leaving Byakuya's embrace and rising onto unsteady legs, "You have made me happier than anyone could since my Naoki died. This isn't your fault, Yuushiro-sama. Please don't think that it is."

"And we are not without hope," Michio said solemnly, "I treated Tetsuya-san when he was injured before. I will do my best to give him a good outcome."

"Our clan's healer will help too!" Yuushiro promised, "He specializes in multiple births because they happen all of the time in our family. He has brought some very ill females through, and I know he can help Tetsuya-san!"

"Then, it seems that the die is cast," Byakuya said quietly as Ichigo joined him on the edge of the bed and slid an arm around him, "Tetsuya, you must proceed very carefully. There is even more at stake than just your health. You know that the Noble's General Council expressly forbade allowing mixed-bloods to participate in the impregnation ritual. When it becomes known that you are pregnant with Yuushiro's children, they will demand a hearing to determine whether or not you violated any rules."

"But there's no way Tetsuya'd ever do that!" Ichigo objected, "What happened wasn't his fault."

"I agree with you," Byakuya affirmed, "but they may argue that Tetsuya was wrong in taking refuge in one of the rooms, that it was his fault and, therefore, his responsibility for what happened."

"But I was in the wrong room too!" Yuushiro exclaimed, "And I was the one who drank the elixirs, not Tetsuya-san! He didn't do anything. He even tried to resist, though the resonance was very strong. I overcame him. There wasn't anything he did that was wrong!"

"Yuushiro, although you are young, you are a clan leader. You know that whether or not it is obvious Tetsuya is innocent, the council will demand the review, because monitoring things of that manner is their job. I am sure Tetsuya will be cleared of any wrongdoing, or only found guilty of a minor infraction. But even so, as soon as they make the accusation, Tetsuya must report to the Hall of the Noble's General Council, where they can demand that he be confined to a cell and denied visitors except for his clan leader and legal counsel. I hope that, given Tetsuya's physical state, they will be reasonable. But given their track record..."

"They can't throw him in their jail and refuse him medical help!" Yuushiro snapped angrily.

"They will rule on whether they think the council's own healer is adept enough to care for Tetsuya. They may allow your healer to assist, or they may not. There is no way to be sure."

"I'm not going to let anyone put Tetsuya-san in a cell and deny him proper food and care during his gestation!" Yuushiro announced defiantly, "So...I am claiming Tetsuya-san as my concubine."

Byakuya's eyes widened.

"You are aware that for you to do that, you must challenge a representative from my family to battle for the right to claim him legally," Byakuya reminded him.

"Yes," Yuushiro agreed, "But...because I am with child, myself, that battle doesn't need to take place until after I deliver. In the meantime, if I am able to gain custody of Tetsuya-san, I cannot be accused of wrongdoing. Possession of a concubine during a challenge is a matter of circumstance. If I take him, you can order me to give him back. I must respond by returning him or giving argument."

"And the back and forth arguments take up time, "Byakuya said approvingly, "But the question will eventually become...who will you face in battle for rights to him?"

Yuushiro's eyes flashed angrily.

"I have the right to choose any bankai wielding member of your family as my opponent, as long as you approve it. So...does Orochi-san have a bankai?"

"Yuushiro-sama!" Tetsuya cried, "You can't think of fighting Orochi! Not that I don't think you're powerful enough, but he has use of poisons. His shikai snakes are venomous. And his bankai...!"

"My cat form has very thick fur," Yuushiro assured him, "I am not afraid of that man. He hurt Tetsuya-san before, and anyone who hurts someone I love answers to me!"

"But you don't have to do this!" Tetsuya argued, "We will just...we can...!"

"Yuushiro is attempting to make sure that you are safe and that you have the care of a healer who has experience treating shinigamis carrying multiple babies. It is what is best for you, watashi no itoko."

"But I will have to stay within the boundaries of the Shihoin estate," Tetsuya worried, "I won't be able to see you...to..."

"I assure you, Yuushiro will allow me to see you as we negotiate. You will be comfortable and safe, as long as you are there. And Yuushiro's defeat of our champion supersedes the Noble's General Council's right to question your behavior. It automatically negates their obligation and right to interfere with the two of you."

"But he will have to fight Orochi!" Tetsuya objected, "Byakuya-sama, he will not fight fairly. If he can find any sneaky way to win, he will!"

"Well," said Yuushiro, squeezing Tetsuya's hand gently, "I just won't let him. Don't worry, Tetsuya-san, I will protect you. I won't let anyone hurt you. I will take care of you."

"But...first, you must take custody of Tetsuya," Byakuya reminded him, letting his reiatsu rise around them.

"Right!" agreed the Shihoin prince, grasping Tetsuya and forcing him into cat form, "Run, Tetsuya-san!"

Tetsuya looked back at Byakuya, who gazed at him quietly for a moment, then gave him a barely perceptible nod. The two cats shot out the bedroom door and raced away as the Kuchiki house alarms began to shriek. Arashi raised his head and looked around as Byakuya emerged from the room with Ichigo at his side and he hesitated.

_Byakuya-sama?_

Byakuya gave him a measured look.

"Go after them," Byakuya ordered him, "If you capture them before they reach the Shihoin estate, you must return him to my custody."

Arashi's head bowed briefly, then he charged away in the direction the two cats had gone as the Kuchiki house guards rallied around Byakuya and he gave them their orders.

"Tetsuya has been claimed as concubine by Shihoin Yuushiro," he explained, "Yuushiro has taken Tetsuya and is headed for his estate. If you do not apprehend him before they reach it, you are not allowed to touch him unless he emerges from the estate."

"Yes sir!" the men cried, flash stepping in the direction Yuushiro and Tetsuya had gone.

Byakuya stood, looking unhappily after them. He felt Ichigo's hand take hold of his and the shinigami substitute kissed him on the cheek.

"That was really a good thing you just did," he said approvingly, "I know you love Tetsuya, and you're worried about him, but what you just did is the best thing for him."

"I agree," Byakuya said softly, his voice tinged with regret, "but I am very worried for him, Ichigo. He was damaged very badly in his first gestation. I was forced at the end to choose whether our healer should save Tetsuya or save his child."

Ichigo's face paled.

"That's horrible," he mused softly.

"I knew what that child meant to Tetsuya and what he, himself would have chosen...but even knowing, I just couldn't..."

Ichigo smiled sympathetically and kissed him on the mouth.

"You couldn't let him die. I get it. And I know Tetsuya does too."

"Does he?" Byakuya asked uncertainly, "He looked at me like he was afraid of me, Ichigo...Tetsuya, who I have loved like a brother since we were teens, looked at me as though he expected me to take that choice away from him. I cannot even say that I disagree with him for not trusting me."

"That's bullshit," Ichigo said firmly, but gently, "Tetsuya does trust you. It's just that he's found his true resonant, ne?"

Byakuya glanced again in the direction Tetsuya had gone, then looked back at Ichigo with more peaceful eyes.

"Yes," he agreed softly, "he has."

"Then, you need to let Yuushiro protect him," Ichigo advised him.

"Let a Shihoin care for my most beloved cousin?" Byakuya sighed, "That is a very distressing thing...even though it is the right thing."


End file.
